Underplayed Gems
The whole movie catalogue

Films and series, searchable by what they are

← Back to the shop

Balweg (1987)

Balweg poster
Original title
Balweg: The Rebel Priest
Directed by
Tikoy Aguiluz, Butch Perez
Genre
drama, action
Country
Philippines
Runtime
2h 02m
Rated
R-18
Rating
9.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb

How it feels

This biographical film follows Conrado Balweg, a Catholic priest who becomes a communist rebel in the Philippines. It focuses on his transformation and his role in a rebellion, showing his actions and impact.

heroicdramaticaction-packedrebelliousinspiringseriousfast-pacedpolarizing

What happens

Balweg (marketed as Balweg, the Rebel Priest) is a 1987 Filipino biographical action drama film directed by Antonio Perez. Inspired by the life of Catholic priest turned communist rebel Conrado Balweg, it stars Phillip Salvador as the eponymous rebel, alongside Rio Locsin, Tetchie Agbayani, Johnny Delgado, Pinky Amador, Jose Romulo, Mon Godiz, Bebong Osorio, Eddie Infante, and Baldo Marro. Produced by Viva Films, Balweg was released on July 8, 1987, and was a box office success. Phillip Salvador won both the FAMAS Award and the Film Academy of the Philippines Award for Best Actor. The film received negative reviews from critics, who deemed it an "opportunistic" film which excessively depicts Balweg as a "larger-than-life hero" at the expense of a fair depiction of his character and motivation. Some members of communist organizations in the Philippines also criticized the film's various historical inaccuracies. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? Tell the Catbot what you feel like watching and it picks from the whole catalogue, or browse by genre, country and year.

Lists: Korean thrillers worth the evening · Anime films beyond Studio Ghibli · Slow films for a rainy night · Horror that unsettles instead of startling · Series you can finish in a weekend · Nordic crime worth the subtitles · Good films that end in under 90 minutes · Documentaries that play like thrillers

Loading movies…

What should I watch?