FPJ's Ang Probinsyano () is a 1996 Filipino action film co-written, directed and produced by Fernando Poe Jr., who also stars in twin lead roles. The film was a box office hit. A sequel, Pagbabalik ng Probinsyano, was released in 1998.

Plot
Police captain Ador de Leon is killed in a drug bust operation after he is betrayed by his fellow officer Major Sandoval. His superior, Colonel Bernardo lies to Ador's wife Lily, telling him that he is severely injured, and devises a plan for his twin brother, lieutenant Ricardo "Kardo" de León, who is the chief of police in the distant provincial town of Santa Marcela, to assume his identity. Kardo cut off contact with Ador after the death of his family, which was mistaken for Ador's, in a massacre. Kardo arrives at Ador's house, and is received by a relieved Lily, who mistakes him for Ador. However, Kardo later slips up, forcing him and Col. Bernardo to reveal the truth to Lily, who eventually forgives them. 

At a club frequented by Ador and other policemen, Kardo meets Carmen, a dancer, and gets to know her and her daughter Menchie, who grows fond of him. Knowing that Kardo is already suspecting him for Ador's death, Sandoval dispatches two corrupt policemen to hold Carmen and Menchie hostage and lure Kardo into her house to kill him. Arriving at the house, Carmen, who is terminally ill with brain cancer, sacrifices herself in order to save Menchie and Kardo, who kills the two policemen. Sandoval is suspended after his role is revealed, while Menchie chooses to live with Kardo. 

Kardo eventually finds the truth about his brother's death and launches an assault on the drug syndicate responsible, killing Sandoval. Afterwards, Kardo returns to Santa Marcela with Menchie.

Cast

Fernando Poe Jr. as Police Captain Ador de Leon and Police Lieutenant Ricardo "Kardo" de Leon
Dindi Gallardo as Lily de Leon
Amanda Page as Carmen Salazar
Amado Cortez as Police Colonel Bernardo
Melisse "Mumay" Santiago as Menchie Salazar
Janus del Prado as Jerry de Leon
Bob Soler as Head of the Syndicate
Zandro Zamora as Police Major Sandoval
Berting Labra as Titong
Jerick Miranda as Ben
Marita Zobel as Mrs. Bernardo
Rudy Meyer
Vic Varrion
Joey Padilla as Ben's gang
Nonoy de Guzman as Nonong Noo
Jim Rosales as Santos' gang
Rene Matias as Santos
Robert Rivera as Police Senior Master Sergeant Halili
Dante Castro as Investigation Officer
Dindo Arroyo as Dado
Renato del Prado as Natong Luga
Ernie Zarate as Investigation Officer
Telly Babasa as Alex
Tom Olivar as Alex's goon
Ding Alvaro as Alex's goon
Kim Laurel as Alex's goon
Tom Alvarez

Sequel

A sequel, Pagbabalik ng Probinsyano, was released almost a year and a half later, directly after the success of the original.

Remake

In 2015, the film was remade by ABS-CBN as a teleserye starring Coco Martin together with an ensemble cast.

Deviations and connections to the TV series
In the film version, Kardo (Cardo in the television series) had a wife and children, who were murdered because the killers had mistaken Kardo for Ador. While on TV series, he was adopted by the Dalisay family.
Ador's guilt was the reason for their separation in the film version. In the TV series version, their grandmother had young Cardo adopted by a childless couple as a condition for the treatment of Cardo's injuries in Singapore.
Ador and Kardo did not have a grandmother in the film. In the TV series, the twins have a grandmother played by veteran actress Susan Roces, widow of the late Fernando Poe Jr.
Kardo's last name in the film version is still de Leon instead of Dalisay.
Cardo in the TV series is a SAF trooper in Botolan with the rank of Staff Sergeant (PO3). In the film version, Kardo is Santa Marcela's Police Chief, with the rank of Lieutenant.
The film's antagonist is a drug syndicate. In the TV series, it is a human-child trafficking syndicate whose line of business shifted to drug production and distribution.
The child Kardo adopted in the film version is a girl, while in the TV series version, it is a boy. Later, Cardo and his family would adopt five more children as part of his expanded family.
In the film, Ador's son is named Jerry; while in the TV series, he named his son after him.
Carmen, a love interest in both the film and the TV series is presented differently between the two versions. In the former, Carmen is a night club entertainer and the mother Menchie, the child Kardo adopts; whereas in the latter, Carmen is the widow of Ador, replacing the film's Lily as Ador's wife.
Salazar is the surname of the film version's Carmen. In the TV series, Guzman is Carmen's maiden name before she married Ador.
The Glen Corpuz character was originally created for the TV series only.
Ador's superior in the film version, who devised the plan for Kardo to assume Ador's identity, is not Ador and Kardo's grand-uncle.
The person who killed Ador in the film version is a syndicate goon. In the TV series, Ador is killed by the main antagonist, a corrupt policeman.
In the film, the main antagonist is a corrupt police official under the payroll of the drug syndicate. In contrast, the main antagonist in the TV series is a corrupt police officer who is one of the leaders and a family member of the human trafficking and drug syndicate.
The Paloma Picache character was created for the TV series only, and was an idea proposed by lead actor Coco Martin to Dreamscape Entertainment. Paloma is actually Cardo in drag which he used to infiltrate a prostitution ring and a sextortionist group.
Janus del Prado, Tom Olivar, Dindo Arroyo, and Joey Padilla were the cast members from the 1996 film who made guest appearances in the TV series. In addition, Daniel Fernando, Ricardo Cepeda, and Jethro Ramirez, who were part of the 1998 film sequel, also made guest appearances in the telenovela. Jaime Fabregas, who served as the musical director for both the film and its sequel, played the role of Cardo and Ador's superior and grand uncle. Likewise, Manny Q. Palo, the writer of the screenplay for the sequel, went on to become one of the directors of the show.

Re-release
A special tribute screening of the film was held In August 2015, in celebration of Poe's 76th birthday and ahead of the premiere of the TV adaptation. The screening was attended by Poe's widow, Susan Roces, their daughter, Senator Grace Poe and her son, Brian Llamanzares, along with the cast of the series Coco Martin, Maja Salvador, Bela Padilla and Jaime Fabregas who also served as the film's musical director.

References

External links

1996 films
1996 action films
Films about twin brothers
Films about the illegal drug trade
Films about organized crime
Films with screenplays by Pablo S. Gomez
Philippine action films
Films directed by Fernando Poe Jr.