bkoganbing Edward James Olmos both directs and stars in American Me with a mostly Latino cast which depicts a Chicano life influenced both by circumstances and bad choices. The story with a prologue depicting his parents during the Zoot suit riots during World War II right up to almost the present time. Olmos plays a gang leader and we see his rise and fall in the criminal profession which starts with an arrest as a juvenile.It's a stoic and intense portrayal that Olmos gives to his own direction. Olmos did his own research for the part, but more than that he lived it being born and growing up in the Mexican American area of East Los Angeles.In the story Olmos and his two running buddies, William Forsythe and Pepe Serna while in prison found a Mexican American gang, La Primavera and in prison they pretty much are the Latino inmate population. As they gradually finish their sentences and are released the gang takes it shape and control of various rackets in the Barrio. Of course they also have to deal with other gangs, black gangs, Aryan Brotherhood, and some rival Chicano crews. That last sets in motion the downfall of Olmos.The story is narrated in flashback by Olmos writing a letter to his younger brother while he's back in prison. It's a mournful plea for the kid not to make the same choices he did. American Me is a very good film, the personal project of a very talented man.

nepatsfan11 I am a fan of both drug and prison movies so when I was recommended this movie I had some pretty high expectations. I read a lot of reviews on here and it seemed that people felt this was an accurate portrayal of prison life. I have never been to prison but I highly doubt that many of the events that happened in the movie could occur in prison. The one specific scene that I am talking about is the near riot. The other problem I had with this movie was the overuse of Latino terms. I understand that these terms are used in real life but every other word was "essay"(sp) or "homes". This wouldn't have been such an issue if the movie at least had some action between long drawn out conversations. The action was few and far between and I found myself dozing off many times. The thing that bothered me with this movie was the lack of a score. There was little to no background music to set the tone of a scene. This left the movie with a ton of awkward silences with the actors standing just making a silly facial expression for minutes at a time. So if you are looking for an action filled drug movie I'd look elsewhere but if you are looking for a way to waste 2 hours of your day I'd recommend "American Me".

poodogg1 I saw this movie a couple of days ago. It was a chilling and shocking tale of a society that I frequently visited in my life. I treaded on the turf of East Los Angeles practically everyday for three years. The Zoot Suit riots, the drug circulation, the violence is all real. Hot summer days, cold winter nights. They had an Asian population over there whom I met on a phone-based chat service. The movie American Me was to me violence Mexican Mafia style. The Italian movies differ, while their scenes are more dramatical. I believe that the action in American Me was in a sense, more raw. I could actually say that a Mexican is three races combined. Spanish, French, and Italian.

HEX21 Great movie, because its a true story. Which today La Eme is alive and well as well as Nuestra familiar, two of the strongest and scariest Mexican/American gangs around. For those who don't understand gang activity may have a hard time understanding the movie, and may feel it might be corny though this stuff happens everyday and let me tell you it's not corny,it happens in our country everyday. Watching this film will open up your eyes and understand how serious our gang issue is in our country. You may thing that it's just another movie and that is was cheesy, but remember again this stuff happens everyday,it may not occur in your neck of the woods, though when you least expect it La Eme or Nuestra familiar might be near?