Set in modern Manila amid the war on drugs, it tells the story of Irma (Eula Valdez), a hitwoman who trains the young orphan Toto (Timothy Castillo) to become a professional assassin.

When Toto finds out that, indeed, he and his brother have become targets of assassination by local gangsters as well as corrupt officers, he is rescued by Irma (Eula Valdez), a professional hitwoman who introduces herself as a friend of his dead mother, with whom she spent time as a hawker of counterfeit goods.

[1] According to Red, he had the idea for Neomanila after watching an interview conducted by the BBC, which had gone viral, of a married couple who both worked as hitmen at night.

"[2] Principal photography on the film began August 2017 and lasted 11 days, which is a relatively short schedule compared to the two-year period Red spent completing Birdshot.

Aesthetically, Red shot the film with the Arri Alexa utilizing the cinéma vérité technique, emphasizing mostly hand-held camera movements.

[2] Red insists that Neomanila is devoid of any political statement, and he believes that whether the characters' decisions are "moral" is best left for audiences to contemplate: I guess what makes it different from most EJK-themed films—and there's a lot being done now—is the perspective.

[4] Clarence Tsui for The Hollywood Reporter called the film a "slick thriller", extending praise to Eula Valdez's against-type role and Tim Castillo's "nuanced performance".