Set in the Philippines, it focuses on a rice farmer relocating his family to the country's metropolitan capital in search of a better life.

On Oscar's first day and night at work with his partner, Ong, the two exchange stories; Ong lost his previous partner during a failed robbery six months prior; Oscar once worked in a silk factory with Alfred Santos, who was forced into armed robbery on a passenger airline, after losing his father and his family's silk factory to a rival company, to which he felt responsible for failing to stand up with his colleague, who ultimately perished after jumping off the plane.

When she fails to make her drink quota and her pregnancy becomes more evident, her boss proposes to have nine-year-old Angel work for special clients.

One night, after a delivery job, Oscar sneaks into the processing centre and takes an imprint of the key while stealing another one; he was quickly caught on security camera and is shot and killed.

She notices a locket that Oscar had stolen from a shop earlier that morning; upon opening it, she discovers a clay imprint of the key to the security box.

[7] The film was re-released with special screenings to raise money for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda that had hit the Philippines and killed close to 6000 people.

Ellis said: "The people of the Philippines were tremendously supportive during the making of Metro Manila, and it's only right that we should now use the film to raise money to help the victims of this terrible disaster.

The website's consensus reads: "Infusing thriller tropes with a searing glimpse of modern-day corruption, Metro Manila is just as gripping as any action blockbuster — and twice as thought-provoking.

"[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.