Target... Maganto

{{Infobox film

| name = Target... Maganto

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| director = Leonardo L. Garcia

| producer = Greg V. Magliba{{cite book|editor-last=Wells|editor-first=Jack|title=South and Southeast Asia Video Archive Holdings|date=June 1993|issue=5|page=108|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UANKAQAAMAAJ|access-date=May 29, 2021}}

| writer = Erwin T. Lanado

| starring = {{Plainlist|

Ronnie Ricketts
Charlie Davao
Monica Herrera
Paquito Diaz
Romy Diaz
Nick Romano
Renato del Prado
Bing Davao
Aurora Salve}}

| music = Rey Ramos

| cinematography =

| editing = Francisco J. Vinarao

| studio = GVM Productions

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|1988|04|08}}

| runtime = 108 minutes

| country = Philippines

| language = Filipino

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Target... Maganto is a 1988 Filipino action film based on the life of Lt. Col. Romeo Maganto of the Western Police District in Manila. Directed by Leonardo L. Garcia, the film stars Ronnie Ricketts as the eponymous police commander, alongside Charlie Davao, Monica Herrera, Paquito Diaz, Romy Diaz, Nick Romano, Renato del Prado, Bing Davao and Aurora Salve. It is the first film to be made about Maganto's life; later films include Leon ng Maynila (1991) and The Legend: Tomagan (2003). Produced by GVM Productions, the film was released on April 8, 1988.

Critic Lav Diaz gave Maganto a negative review, criticizing its highly fictionalized depiction of the Sparrow Unit, a communist militant group of the New People's Army.

Plot

Lt. Col. Romeo Maganto is a dedicated police commander of the Western Police District. His repeated raids against a syndicate's operations eventually lead to a confrontation between him and the Sparrow Unit led by Archie.{{cite news|last=Diaz|first=Lav|author-link=Lav Diaz|title=Mahika blangka|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19880415&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=May 29, 2021|work=Manila Standard|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=April 15, 1988|page=10|language=Filipino|quote=HALAW sa totoong buhay ang pelikulang ito pero may bahid ng pantasya.}}

Cast

Ronnie Ricketts as Lt. Col. Romeo S. Maganto
Charlie Davao
Monica Herrera as Elaine, Romeo's wife
Paquito Diaz as Archie
Romy Diaz
Nick Romano
Renato del Prado
Bing Davao
Aurora Salve

Release

Target... Maganto was graded "C" by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), indicating a "Fair" quality.{{cite news|title=MTRCB Classification and Ratings Guide for films reviewed 24–30 March|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19880411&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=May 29, 2021|work=Manila Standard|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=April 11, 1988|page=10|quote=A film about the heroic deeds of a police officer who is devoted to his profession. Too much violent scenes need parental advice.}} The film was released in theaters on April 8, 1988.{{cite news|title=Movie Guide|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19880408&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=May 29, 2021|work=Manila Standard|publisher=Manila Standard News, Inc.|date=April 8, 1988|page=11|quote=CAPRI........................Maganto}}{{cite news|title=Movie Guide|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19880407&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=May 29, 2021|work=Manila Standard|publisher=Manila Standard News, Inc.|date=April 8, 1988|page=10|quote=CAPRI.......................Rebelyon}}

=Critical response=

Lav Diaz, writing for the Manila Standard, gave Maganto a negative review. He criticized the film's highly fictionalized portrayal of the Sparrow Unit, focusing especially on the fictional character of Archie, as he thought that there were enough material written about them in newspapers for the filmmakers to have a more accurate depiction of the group. Diaz was also critical of the actors' performances, singling out in particular Ronnie Ricketts and Monica Herrera's portrayal of a married couple with three children being contradicted by their performances, which are that of lovers just starting to know each other.