Review: The Expat

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet, unless indicated

The Expat
Directed by Gregory Segal
4Now Films; Badladz Productions; Spring Fairy Entertainment
96 minutes, 2021 / 2022
www.facebook.com/expatmoviephilippines

For some reason the term “Expat” (short for “expatriate”) has come under fire as being racist. I see this as a culture war argument, and will be ignoring it completely in this review. I believe if a person of any country of origin goes to another place, they are an expat of their own country, and an immigrant in the new. Race has nothing to do with it.

Anyway, there was a time in the late 1960s through the 1970s where the Philippines was a place to shoot grade C horror films that were so bad, they have become classics, such as Twilight People (1972) and Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968), most of which starred surfer boy John Ashley.

Lev Gorn

This film is a murder mystery, but a really seedy one that actually made me feel uncomfortable at times. Right away, we are introduced to the titular expat, Nick Spiro (Lev Gorn, from the TV series “The Americans,” a show about, well, immigrants). He’s an ex-Marine who has moved to the Philippines “to do things.” It is not clear what that is, or whether it is a “vacation” (he says “for a while”) or permanent. By the title of the film, I’m going with the latter.

And what does this representative of the US do first-thing? He goes on the hunt for women for sex, through a local website. Ugh, gives masculinity a bad name. And this isn’t even 5 minutes in, he’s walking around hitting on every attractive local female he can find. He is also not kind to the women who agree to his bed. The next morning, he’s “Okay, get up, time to get out, I’m busy.” But he’s not. We don’t see him doing anything other than roaming around. I already don’t like this guy.

As his ridiculously large amount of “conquests” builds, something strange is happening in that his partners are turning up dead in alleyways with slit throats. This guy is prolific in the bedroom so the body count builds up.

Mon Confiado

On the case is Detective Cruz (Mon Confiado), who is a weird mix of likeable, but has no compulsion in whacking a guy about the body to get information, including Nick. Thought he was going to be the good guy, but I don’t think there is a “good guy” in the story. That also seems to include some run-ins Nick has with another Ugly American, just billed as the Well-Dressed Man (Billy Ray Gallion), who I’m guessing ends up having a larger part in the story at some point, perhaps even as a red herring.

One of the things annoying me is the total disregard for the women involved, with the sole exception of Cruz’s wife, Angela (Lara Morena). As the bodies stack up, Nick is more worried about himself and keeps on keeping on, knowing the danger he is putting these women into without a care. Like someone knowing they have AIDS and still sleeps around unprotected. Even Cruz is more concerned about the effect on the “community” than the women themselves. But I would also add Segal, who wrote and directed this, as being complicit in this attitude. With rare exception (such as said Angela, or the one woman who has any substance in the film at all and possible love interest, Delilah [Lovely Abella], for example), most of the females are seen as expendable, occasionally topless, with no character behind them except as sex objects to be killed off after moments on the screen.

Even Delilah, Nick treats her more like a servant that a potential girlfriend. He has her cook for him, won’t help her with chores (“Laundry isn’t my thing”), and at some early point when she asks if he’s coming back, he just leaves without answering. Total toxic masculinity on display, and just not a nice person. The writing also hints that she is interested in him as a possible sugar daddy for her young son. That being said, Abella plays her role with charm.

That being said, my favorite character in the film is the Mindoro Police Chief (Leo Martinez), who does the frustrated comic relief, dealing with incompetent underlings. Other good points is that there is some beautiful scenery as there is a large use of b-roll around Manila and Mindoro. I’m not certain if it was shot for the film, or is stock footage. There is an attempt to show both the touristy areas of bright lights and beachheads, but there is also a wise emphasis on the poverty that is there, as well. To me, this was the strongest message of the film, which was secondary to the actual story and often not explained, just placed there.

Gorn, Lovely Abella

There are minor rumblings around some possible geopolitics and local ones, but the film’s conclusion fizzles out into a nothing burger. Considering the number of people who are killed (yes, all women, who are seen as expendable), there is no blood seen, the bodies are at a distance, and we only see them after the killing. There is hardly any action onscreen other than a couple of moments here and there.

I found this release totally frustrating. It moves at a snail’s pace with way too much dialogue where nothing of substance is being said, there is hardly anyone to really like, especially the main character, and it goes in circles. I think I would rather see some of those old John Asley horror films from way back when.

While most of the film is in English, there are some bits in Filipino, with easy-to-read subtitles. Honestly, it’s not that much if you are subtitle-phobic.

IMBD Listing HERE