American Me (1992)

Director:

Edward James Olmos

Writers (WGA):

Floyd Mutrux (story)
Floyd Mutrux (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 March 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

In prison they are the law. On the streets they are the power.

Plot:

A Mexican-American Mafia kingpin is released from prison, falls in love for the first time, and grows introspective about his gangster lifestyle.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Gang | Mafia | Initiation | Barrio

Cast

Sal Lopez	...	Pedro Santana
Vira Montes	...	Esperanza Santana
Roberto Martín Márquez	...	Acha (as Robert Martin Marquez)
Dyana Ortelli	...	Yolanda
Joe Aubel	...	Tattoo Artist
Rob Garrett	...	Zoot Riot Bystander
Lance August	...	Young Sailor
Cody Glenn	...	Older Sailor
Don Pugsley	...	Police Officer
Panchito Gómez	...	Young Montoya Santana (as Panchito Gomez)
Albert Joe Medina Jr.	...	Street Mechanic
Alex Solís	...	Street Mechanic (as Alex Solis)
Raymond Amezquita	...	Abuelito
Steve Wilcox	...	Young JD
Richard Coca	...	Young Mundo

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:M (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | USA:R | Iceland:16 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #31589)

Filming Locations:

Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Olmos Productions

Trivia:

Two of the most dangerous street gangs of East L.A., Il Grande Hazard and MC Forceros, called a truce to allow director Edward James Olmos to shoot the movie on their turfs.

Quotes:

Montoya Santana: Whatever I did to you or to mama... to make you hate me, I'm sorry.
Pedro Santana: Your mother was a beautiful woman. She made me feel proud. She was 19 years old. Raped... by sailors. After it happened, we never talked about it. Then we got married and we tried to forget. When you were born, I tried to love you. But every time I looked at you, I wondered who your real father was. I wondered which sailor's blood you carried inside of you.

Movie Connections:

References The Hard Way (1943)

Soundtrack:

Rockin' Robin

Intense Disturbing and Underrated Film

"American Me" is arguably the most significant film not discussed in the same breath with crime epics such as "The Godfather." It was clearly made, both consciously and perhaps subconsciously to be the Mexican Godfather film and that is hardly a bad thing. Its honesty regarding the emotional costs of violence and murder are on par with that film. I don't know what to say to anyone who critiques Edward James Olmos. First, this actor's capacity to convey a complicated range of emotions without words is absolutely staggering and has been seen to great effect in many great films including "Blade Runner." Additionally, he is inarguably the premiere Latino / Chicano filmmaker and actor of all time. If you look at the films he has been involved with, think about how they have dominated the way Hispanic people, Mexicans in particular, have been seen by others who would, largely, not even know of the experiences of their neighbors. "American Me" is so unflinching that, after seeing it, I had to see it again to believe it was actually made by or released by a major studio. Once upon a time studio films featured honest portraits of life but rarely any more. "American Me" tho hardly the knee-slapping comedy some reviewer wanted or expected, conveys an honest sense of the life lived by many without the hope of education or prosperity but with the same need for respect and something bigger than themselves to believe in that you or anyone else has and lives their life by. If you want to see a life perhaps very different than yours depicted with uncommon honesty, watch this film.