Dukot
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''Dukot'' () is a 2016 Filipino suspense thriller film directed by
Paul Soriano Paul David Soriano (; born October 17, 1981) is a Filipino commercial and film director, producer. Personal life Soriano was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. His father is director and pastor Jeric Soriano, the son of actor Nestor ...
. It stars
Enrique Gil Enrique Mari Bacay Gil V (; born March 30, 1992) is a Filipino actor and dancer. Gil has appeared in various films and television shows such as '' Mula sa Puso'', '' Budoy'', '' Princess and I'', '' Muling Buksan ang Puso'' and '' She's the One ...
,
Ricky Davao Frederick Charles Abiera Davao (May 30, 1961 – May 1, 2025) was a Filipino actor and television director. Career Davao began his career in the entertainment industry in 1978 as a dancer for the Vicor Crowd group. Later in the year, he had h ...
,
Shaina Magdayao Shaina Garcia Magdayao (; born November 6, 1989) is a Filipino actress. Known primarily for her dramatic roles in film and television, she began her career as a child actress and starred in her first titular role ''Lyra (TV series), Lyra''. She ...
, Bing Pimintel and
Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956), also known as Boyet, is a Filipino actor, filmmaker and politician. Often referred to as the "King of Philippine Drama", he gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous film and te ...
. The film is executive produced by
Charo Santos-Concio María Rosario "Charo" Navarro Santos-Concio (; born October 27, 1955) is a Filipino actress and former media executive. She is the host of , the longest running television drama anthology in the Philippines. From 2012 to 2016, she was the ch ...
and Malou Santos. Based on true events, the film tells the story of Carlo, played by Enrique, who was kidnapped and held to demand ransom from his parents. It was released by
Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc., trade name, doing business as Star Cinema and also known as ABS-CBN Films (since 2018), is a Philippines, Philippine film studio, film, television production company, production and distribution (marketing), di ...
on July 13, 2016 in more than one hundred cinemas throughout the country. The film was Graded B by the Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines.


Plot

The film centers on the family of a middle-class government official. The family goes through hell when Carlo (Gil), who is estranged from his father, is kidnapped. Carlo must be rescued, otherwise he will be forced to fight for his life to escape a ruthless gang of ex-military mercenaries. The film revolves around two families that come from two totally different worlds. Uncontrollable circumstances will unleash a chain of events that shall compel these families to do unimaginable things to fight for what they think and feel is right.


Cast

*
Enrique Gil Enrique Mari Bacay Gil V (; born March 30, 1992) is a Filipino actor and dancer. Gil has appeared in various films and television shows such as '' Mula sa Puso'', '' Budoy'', '' Princess and I'', '' Muling Buksan ang Puso'' and '' She's the One ...
as Carlo Sandoval *
Ricky Davao Frederick Charles Abiera Davao (May 30, 1961 – May 1, 2025) was a Filipino actor and television director. Career Davao began his career in the entertainment industry in 1978 as a dancer for the Vicor Crowd group. Later in the year, he had h ...
as Charlie Sandoval *
Shaina Magdayao Shaina Garcia Magdayao (; born November 6, 1989) is a Filipino actress. Known primarily for her dramatic roles in film and television, she began her career as a child actress and starred in her first titular role ''Lyra (TV series), Lyra''. She ...
as Cathy Sandoval *Bing Pimentel as Cecille Sandoval *
Ping Medina Crispin "Ping" Chupungco Medina Jr. (born July 23, 1983) is a Filipino people, Filipino film actor. Medina is a contract artist of Star Magic. Career Medina is a prominent independent film, independent film actor in the Philippines. He debuted ...
as Alex * Alex Medina as Jimbo *Bangs Garcia as Girlie *Dino Pastrano as Tiny *
Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956), also known as Boyet, is a Filipino actor, filmmaker and politician. Often referred to as the "King of Philippine Drama", he gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous film and te ...
as Mang Johnny *
Candy Pangilinan Maria Carmela "Candy" Espiritu Pangilinan (born May 8, 1972) is a Filipino film and television actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs " ...
as Police Chief Dela Vega *Dindo Arroyo as Dr. Herrera


Production

The production of the film took three months while principal photography took 20 days. In an article published by ''
The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...
'', director Paul Soriano was quoted to have said that Enrique Gil was his "first and only choice" for the role of Carlo. The two met back in 2011 when Enrique auditioned for a part in Soriano's sports biographical drama film '' Thelma''. However, Enrique did not get the part due to his then difficulty in speaking the Filipino language.


Release

The film was released on July 13, 2016 in over one hundred cinemas nationwide. A premiere night for the film was held on July 12, 2016 at the Dolphy Theater inside the
ABS-CBN Studios ABS-CBN Studios (also known as ABS-CBN Entertainment, ABS-CBN Entertainment Group, ABS-CBN Entertainment Department, ABS-CBN Production, or just simply ABS-CBN) is a Philippine film, television production company, production and distribution (ma ...
. It was attended by some of the cast and crew of the film as well as some of the executives of ABS-CBN.


Marketing

The official trailer of the film was released on YouTube on June 29, 2016 followed by extensive TV spots on
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
,
ABS-CBN Sports+Action ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
and on ABS-CBN's cable channels. The "uncut" trailer of the film was released on YouTube on July 13, 2016. A one-minute teaser trailer of the film was released by director Paul Soriano on YouTube displaying the original anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of the film. A press conference for the film was held on July 5, 2016 that was attended by the director and some of the cast. Prior to the release, director Paul Soriano, actors Enrique Gil, Ricky Davao, and Christopher de Leon were separately invited to the late-night celebrity talk show ''
Tonight with Boy Abunda ''Tonight with Boy Abunda'' is a Philippine television talk show broadcast by ABS-CBN. Hosted by Boy Abunda, it aired on the network's Primetime Bida line up from September 28, 2015 to May 4, 2020, replacing '' Aquino & Abunda Tonight'' and was ...
''. Shaina Magdayao was also invited to the show three days after the premiere to promote the film.


Critical reception

Philbert Ortiz Dy of ClickTheCity.com rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote that "all in all, ''Dukot'' is a pretty engaging film. From scene to scene, it manages to maintain a certain tone and build up the tension. But it’s all in service of a narrative that doesn’t have any thematic follow-through. The film builds so much moral ambiguity, and there’s so much left to dissect as the film raises the volume on the music and jumps to its conclusion. This is a sharp piece of filmmaking, but what it ends up saying through its abandonment of its complexity is questionable at best." Nazamel Tabares of Movies Philippines rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote that "''Dukot'' might not be as thrilling or as meaty as the themes it tackles, but it is a well-made suspense thriller that doesn’t come often in Philippine cinemas. It lacks power in its narrative even though it hints some every now and then, but the shots are tastefully done and the story is decent enough that you get to feel the tense of the situation and what the characters are going through emotionally. Well, some of it." Rey de la Cruz Jr. of
FHM Philippines ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) was a printed British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. It contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World. The final printed issue of British ''F ...
rated the film 7.5 out of 10 describing the film as "a well-directed suspense thriller about a real-life kidnapping. Nice to see an actor like Enrique Gil finally show off his acting skills." Oggs Cruz of
Rappler Rappler (portmanteau of the words "rap" and "ripples") is a Mass media in the Philippines, Filipino online news website based in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and convicted cyberlibelist ...
in a less positive review wrote that "the film’s failure really lies in its misdirected ambitions. It only provokes partially, quickly retreating from its hefty provocations just when the opportunity to get darker and more vicious opens up. Again, it’s all interesting in premise. Everything else is just too safe." Kevin Tan of Film Police Reviews rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote that "''Dukot'' can be commended on injecting fresh ideas into the local mainstream industry, and it shows Soriano’s maturity in his craft. However, the script lacks the guts to deliver a story as dark and gritty as its visuals. ''Dukot'' holds back on depicting hostility and violence that could have rendered audiences more upset and unsettled about today’s reality the moment they exit theaters."


Full Cast & Crew

*Starring:
Enrique Gil Enrique Mari Bacay Gil V (; born March 30, 1992) is a Filipino actor and dancer. Gil has appeared in various films and television shows such as '' Mula sa Puso'', '' Budoy'', '' Princess and I'', '' Muling Buksan ang Puso'' and '' She's the One ...
,
Ricky Davao Frederick Charles Abiera Davao (May 30, 1961 – May 1, 2025) was a Filipino actor and television director. Career Davao began his career in the entertainment industry in 1978 as a dancer for the Vicor Crowd group. Later in the year, he had h ...
,
Shaina Magdayao Shaina Garcia Magdayao (; born November 6, 1989) is a Filipino actress. Known primarily for her dramatic roles in film and television, she began her career as a child actress and starred in her first titular role ''Lyra (TV series), Lyra''. She ...
, Bing Pimentel,
Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956), also known as Boyet, is a Filipino actor, filmmaker and politician. Often referred to as the "King of Philippine Drama", he gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous film and te ...
,
Candy Pangilinan Maria Carmela "Candy" Espiritu Pangilinan (born May 8, 1972) is a Filipino film and television actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs " ...
, Bangs Garcia,
Ping Medina Crispin "Ping" Chupungco Medina Jr. (born July 23, 1983) is a Filipino people, Filipino film actor. Medina is a contract artist of Star Magic. Career Medina is a prominent independent film, independent film actor in the Philippines. He debuted ...
, Alex Medina, & Dindo Arroyo *Directed by:
Paul Soriano Paul David Soriano (; born October 17, 1981) is a Filipino commercial and film director, producer. Personal life Soriano was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. His father is director and pastor Jeric Soriano, the son of actor Nestor ...
*Produced by:
Paul Soriano Paul David Soriano (; born October 17, 1981) is a Filipino commercial and film director, producer. Personal life Soriano was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. His father is director and pastor Jeric Soriano, the son of actor Nestor ...
,
Charo Santos-Concio María Rosario "Charo" Navarro Santos-Concio (; born October 27, 1955) is a Filipino actress and former media executive. She is the host of , the longest running television drama anthology in the Philippines. From 2012 to 2016, she was the ch ...
, & Malou Santos *Music by: Robbie Factoran & Ricardo Juco *Written by: Mark Victor & Jaqueline Franquelli (as Jaqueline V. Franquelli) *Cinematographered by: Odyssey Flores & Mycko David *Sound by: April Castro (dubbing supervisor), Noel Urbano (dubbing supervisor) *Costume & Wardrobe Department: Adonis Barsuela (wardrobe master - as Adonis N. Berzuela) *Camera & Electrical Department: Ben de Vera (double cameramen), Joel Casaol (master grip)


Awards and nominations


References


External links

*
Dukot at the Star Cinema websiteDukot is Graded B by the Cinema Evaluation BoardThe Making of 'DUKOT' , Enrique GilOfficial Trailer , 'DUKOT' , Enrique Gil(UNCUT TRAILER) 'DUKOT' , Enrique Gil(FULL) 'Dukot' Press Conference , Enrique Gil , Star Cinema, TEN17
{{Paul Soriano Star Cinema films Philippine thriller films 2010s Tagalog-language films Films about child abduction Films about families Films about hostage taking 2016 thriller films Films directed by Paul Soriano