Great movie
Added 10/28/2009
I've always been a fan of crime/prison dramas. I'd seen this movie long ago, but never owned it, so I had to add to my collection.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Could have been as good as the Godfather...
Added 9/7/2009
While this is one of my favorite movies, there were many scenes in it that bothered me. I was very pleased to finally see a good movie about Chicanos growing up in America. It's easy to look at these characters and call them stupid. However, one must keep in mind that they grew up in a place where they and their parents were hated because of their skin color. No, it doesn't justify joining a gang and selling drugs. But in the end, who is more wrong?
Santana's parents were zoot suiters. I'm willing to bet a lot of people who watched this movie didn't even know what really happened to zoot suiters in those days (not that I'm saying this movie is a history book). I also realize there are always at least two sides to a story. But anyway, the so called "zoot suit riots" were about the "heroic" sailors beating these zoot suiters up (many of them were only kids) and putting them "in their place". The cops were "most helpful" and arrested them (zoot suiters) after they were beaten.
Time passes, but little changes. Children were born to them and grew up poor, without hope and with lots of anger. What are they to do? No, they are not victims, but they are also not stupid kids who chose a life of crime when they had so much going for them. What did they have going for them?
Santana, Mundo, and JD end up in juvie and eventually prison. They formed one of most powerful prison gangs known as "La Eme". In their mind, they are a success story. They are doing what think is right for their people. They are protecting their people in prison and controlling the drug trade that already existed.
Santana eventually meets a woman who he takes an interest in. It is through her that he realizes he is two people. One is the one she loves. He's the innocent one who is like a child and knows little about the outside world. The other is evil and is the head of a powerful gang. And a certain point in the movie, Santana feels there is no hope for him. He's all grown up now and knows nothing more than his life in prison. He even realizes he's not 100% Chicano.
I would have liked this movie more than Scarface and The Godfather if it weren't for some VERY disturbing scenes. Don't get me wrong, I realize this is a prison movie. However, IMO, there were a few things this movie should have cut out or shortened. The rape scenes (there were at least 3) were MUCH, MUCH longer than necessary.
I think Santana summed this movie up best when he said the following: "You know, a long time ago, two best homeboys, two kids, were thrown into juvie. They were scared, and they thought they had to do something to prove themselves. And they did what they had to do. They thought they were doing it to gain respect for their people, to show the world that no one could take their class from them. No one had to take it from us, ese. Whatever we had...we gave it away..."
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Marginal At Best
Added 8/31/2009
Maybe I just don't understand. Good movie, but not one that I will watch twice. History was good. Again, good for the history lesson but not a re-watcher.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Queer Eye for the Prison Guy
Added 7/29/2009
American Me: 3/10: In all fairness I have to admit I was expecting more of a gang picture (albeit a serious one) with Mexican overtones rather than a straightforward prison drama.
American Me is a straightforward prison drama.
Nobody in this film emotes; and pass the K-Y jelly because there is more guy on guy action in this movie than in the men's room at a Sex in the City wrap party. Add in the bathroom/drug smuggling scenes and you may be squirming in your seat for more reasons than a slow pace.
In addition, many older actors can play characters in their twenties. Even those that have obvious hairline issues (see the later Porky's movies) seem to pull it off. Edward James Olmos is one man who should never even try. He looks like he was born fifty. He also plays the lead with the charisma of a sullen rock.
In addition to the miscasting and sodomy, American Me suffers from serious script issues. It simply takes at face value the characters contention that they are king of the world. They are not. It is one thing for the characters themselves to be misguided (as they are most certainly are) but the movie itself seems not to realize what big losers these guys are. Sure, they are king of the cellblock. Hurrah, that is like being voted carnie of the month.
A good first 45 minutes or so quickly melts into under acted pathos (Nobody emotes in this movie, cause they are all tough guys see.) and misguided plot twists (the whole taking on the mob bit was horribly done). The movie just keeps getting worse and worse.
Oh and Olmos's character writes poetry; bad rhyming poetry. Yup poetry and anal sex, American Me is one makeover away from its own Bravo series.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
HD-DVD American Me
Added 6/30/2009
Excellent film. Family values but different than normal. Action, romance, the strength of families. Well written, acted, and directed. My kind of film. No weaknesses.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
