HARROWING TOUR OF HELLISH POVERTY IN `CAVITE'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

`Have a taste of your country. Get it in you.'' These words, spoken by a terrorist kidnapper to an uncomprehending young man, form the core of the nail-biting thriller ``Cavite.'' Shot on a shoestring budget and filmed on the fly in impoverished areas of the Philippines, ``Cavite'' is a harrowing trip through hellish destitution that breeds the kind of hate and violence making headlines today.

The movie is essentially a two-man show. Longtime friends Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana wrote and directed it. Originally, the protagonist role was written for a woman, but they couldn't find an actress willing to travel to the Philippines. Gamazon took the lead part; Llana held the camera. They spent $7,000 on items that included two cameras (which they later resold on eBay) and two round-trip tickets from Los Angeles to Manila.

Gamazon's Filipino-American character, Adam, is initially seen leading a drab life as a security guard in San Diego. He works the night shift, eats fast food, watches ESPN and grabs hold of his beer belly as if he's just noticing how flabby he has become.

A few minutes into the movie, Adam hears from his mother, informing him that his father has died. Adam flies to Manila, but his mother never arrives at the airport. Then Adam gets a cell phone call from a stranger who informs him that his mother and sister have been kidnapped and will be murdered unless Adam does his bidding.

What follows feels like a documentary, with Llana's hand-held camera bumpily following Adam through the squatter camps, markets and back alleys of Cavite. The kidnapper, part of the violent Muslim terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, knows Adam's every move and is also aware of Adam's family history and lapsed Muslim background. It's clear he has selected Adam for a number of reasons, not the least of which is a perverse desire to teach him a thing or two about the country he long ago left.

There are echoes of beat-the-lock movies like ``Phone Booth'' and ``Speed,'' but what sets ``Cavite'' apart from its distant Hollywood cousins is its unblinking look at the grim reality of its setting.

The presence of McDonald's golden arches amid the crushing poverty somehow adds to the culture shock -- the root cause of Adam's love handles nestled in a city of starving people. The movie is filled with energy and danger and an authentic sense of alienation in the haunted faces and places Llana's camera captures. It's the summer's first great thriller.

Glenn Whipp, [phone].

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CAVITE - Three stars

(Not rated: strong language, disturbing images)

Starring: Ian Gamazon.

Director: Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana.

Running time: 1 hr. 18 min.

Playing: Landmark's Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles.

In a nutshell: Beat-the-clock thriller about a Filipino-American who returns to his native land and finds himself the pawn of a Muslim terrorist group. Full of energy, danger and an authentic sense of alienation found in the crushing poverty of the titular city. In English and Tagalog with English subtitles.