Critic Lav Diaz noted its intense violence in comparison with Poe's previous films, and gave it a mixed review. Bautista won the Film Academy of the Philippines Award for Best Supporting Actress.
The film was originally titled Hindi Pa Nagagawa ang Bala para sa Akin (lit.'The Bullet for Me Is Not Yet Made').[2]
Release
Gawa Na ang Bala was graded "A" by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), indicating a "Very Good" quality.[3] The film was released on November 30, 1988.[4][5] According to Meg Mendoza of the Manila Standard, there were long lines of patrons for the film outside Cubao theaters, stating that "[i]n one of the theaters, the moviegoers occupied the whole lobby and spilled over to the nearest bank down to the sidewalks."[6]
Critical response
Lav Diaz, writing for the Manila Standard, observed that the film was more violent than actor Fernando Poe's previous films, seeming to follow the trend of ultra-violent action from western movies such as the Rambo franchise, though it still follows the revenge story formula found in Poe's other works. Overall, he gave a mixed review, commending the execution of action sequences and Poe's performance while criticizing the "gangland" portrayal of combat and the stale writing for Subas Herrero and Paquito Diaz's characters.[1]
^ abDiaz, Lav (December 7, 1988). "Pinoy Rambo". Manila Standard (in Filipino). Manila Standard News, Inc. p. 15. Retrieved July 26, 2020. Okey rin sina Subas Herrero at Paquito Diaz pero pinalabnaw sila ng mga gasgas na linya at eksenang ipinakain sa kanila.
^Miralles, Nitz (March 22, 1988). "Back in harness". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. p. 11. Retrieved August 8, 2020. In the midst of production is a Fernando Poe Jr. starrer titled Hindi pa Nagagawa ang Bala Para sa Akin.