ALTHOUGH multi-awarded Cesar Montano started in show business as action star, the local audience’s waning interest in the genre has kept him from doing an action film for more than five years until the idea for “Hitman” came along.

Written, produced and directed by Cesar himself, the film has all the ingredients found in blockbuster action films that Hollywood has continued to churn out. High production value, tight editing, multi-faceted characters with interesting back stories, action scenes that his viscerally and memorable punch lines make “Hitman” as contemporary and stylized as, say, “Collateral” and “Unknown.”

“Nowadays, Filipino moviegoers measure the value of local films against those made abroad. And I see the point: Bakit nga naman ako magbabayad ng same amount to watch a local film kung mas maganda ang offer ng Hollywood? So, Filipino filmmakers must think in those lines in order to be viable and that is what I tried to do in ‘Hitman’,” Cesar said.

While admitting that Filipino films can’t compete with the production value of most Hollywood films (“di hamak na mas malaki ang budget nila kesa sa atin”), Cesar points out that there are other elements that can make local films as effective and entertaining.

“Bigyan mo ng puso at bagong twist ang istorya, hanapin mo ang tamang combination pagdating sa cast, alagaan mo ang bawat eksena, experiment with the shots…” he said.

“Hitman” tells the story of Ben (played by Cesar), a man seeking revenge for the brutal death of his family committed by the very people who hired him to kill people. Along the way,  he meets Gina (Sam Pinto) which compounds the situation and brings Ben to a crossroad. The story happens in just 48 hours with one scene vital to the next that viewers can’t afford to miss out on any one.

“Pero hindi ito hard-action lang. May pagka-comedy at love story din siya,” Cesar said.

The trailer of “Hitman” has had people predicting that Cesar’s film could very well set a new trend as far as local action films go. He is certainly proud of his product and even mulls fielding “Hitman” to international filml festivals.

But more than prestige, he is happy to come home to genre that’s close to his heart; hopeful that long-time action fans would come out of the woodwork and rally behind “Hitman.”

“Handa na ang publiko ulit for action films. Meron nang pananabik ulit,” Cesar said.

Other actor sin “Hitman” are Phillip Salvador, Ricky Davao, Mark Herras, Joko Diaz, Diego Montano, Rommel Montano, Jeffrey Tam, Sunshine Garcia, Onchie dela Cruz, Alexis Navarro, and Sam Pinto as Cesar’s leading lady.

“Hitman” is produced by CM Productions and is being distributed by Viva Films. It will open in theaters nationwide on Feb. 22 preceded by several promotional mall shows and a premiere night.