Agent X44
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (July 2014) |
| Agent X44 | |
|---|---|
 Agent X44 Official Poster | |
| Directed by | Joyce Bernal |
| Written by | Mel Mendoza-Del Rosario Galo Ador Trina Marie Dusaban Raz de la Torre |
| Produced by | Lea A. Calmerin Tess V. Fuentes Charo Santos-Concio Malou N. Santos |
| Starring | Vhong Navarro Edwin Tayum Mariel Rodriguez Pokwang Mura Cassandra Ponti |
| Cinematography | Charlie Peralta |
| Edited by | Renewin Alano |
| Music by | Chuckie Dreyfus |
| Distributed by | Star Cinema |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 mins |
| Country | Philippines |
| Languages | Filipino English |
| Budget | ₱30.7 million |
| Box office | ₱98.5 million |
Agent X44 is a 2007 action spy comedy film starring Vhong Navarro as Agent X44 with Mariel Rodriguez in her film debut. The movie was directed by Joyce Bernal under Star Cinema.
Plot
The plot revolves around a secret agency with Reserve Agent King Aguila (Vhong Navarro) tasked to recover the Philippines' most important artifact. The artifact is the bolo of Lapu-lapu which he used to kill Magellan in 1521.
King (Vhong Navarro) is the best friend of Junior (Mura) who is the godson of Tony Falcon (Tony Ferrer), a nearly retiring agent X44. As the two boys grow up, the differences between them become visible. It becomes clear that although he is the smaller one, Junior is the smarter of the two. King has a visual impairment wherein he cannot see the letter "A." This becomes an impediment for his academic success. On the other hand, King is the master retriever; i.e. he can retrieve anything that's lost. Ever since he was a child, King's idol has been his ninong Tony. He also wants to be a secret agent. Junior also wants to be an agent, but Tony is always discouraging him because he fears his son might be put in danger. He makes up an excuse, "Anak, obvious ka masyado!'
King takes up law and passes the agency's qualifying exams. In the agency, he meets Mary Grace (Mariel),another neophyte agent. Mary Grace is flatulent and always gets her high heels stuck in holes. She develops a crush on King, but keeps it to herself. One day, she decides to tell King her true feelings. She had barely said, "I love you" when King rushes out of the restaurant to save a girl. Of course, Mary Grace doesn't know that King is saving the girl. She thinks he is embracing her. She is now convinced that he is a playboy. She decides to take the West Point training being offered to her, and leaves the country feeling bitter about King. When she returns from her training, Mary Grace immediately becomes the #1 agent in the country.
King is given three cases to solve, but he fails each and every one of them. The agency has no choice but to demote him to a clerical job. He longs to be given some fieldwork, but the agency will hear none of it until Magellan's dagger is reported stolen. Being the top agent, Mary Grace expects the high-profile mission to be assigned to her. Thus, she is shocked when Tony Falcon pushes that King is the best agent for the mission.
With the help of Junior, King nearly gets the dagger but he loses it again. Disappointed with King, Tony gets depressed and accidentally falls into a manhole. Cynthia (Pokwang), the agency head, decides to take King out of the mission. During Tony's wake, the ghost of Tony Falcon appears to her, telling her to put King back in the mission. Actually, Junior masterminded this trick. Cynthia decides to pair King with Mary Grace to retrieve the dagger for the final time.
The dagger falls into the hands of three rival crime lords - Mustafah Saleh (Uma Baron Khouny), an Arabian millionaire who wants to retrieve the dagger because it is a threat to his family's oil business; Leah (Cass Ponti), a Polynesian princess who wants to retrieve the dagger because they have the seawater resources but not the equipment to turn it into oil; and Purubutu-san (Epi Quizon), a Yakuza head who wants to retrieve the dagger because he has the seawater resources plus the machinery to market it all over the world.
Cast
- Vhong Navarro as Reserve Agent King Agila / Agent X44
- Mariel Rodriguez as Mary Grace Talagtag / Agent 690
- Cassandra Ponti as Minerva Castillo
- Uma Khouny as Mustafah Saleh
- Pokwang as Cynthia Abordo
- Mura as Anton / Agent Junior Iskalibers
- Juliana Palermo as Selecta Papadakis
- John Lapus as Baklus
- Epi Quizon as Karansai Purubutu-san
- Tony Ferrer as Tony Falcon / Agent X44
- Juddha Paolo as Mr. Clean
Rating
MTRCB, a Philippine media board, has initially rated the movie R-18 due to topless scenes of both Cassandra Ponti and Mariel Rodriguez but was re-rated to PG 13.
Reception
On the opening day, Agent X44 did well, it grossed out to PHP 18.5 million. And after 7 days of its showing, the film made a stunning PHP 60 M. Its overall gross was PHP 98.5 M.