poe426 Trejo's rugged face is a road map of the road FROM Hell, and this documentary tells how he got There and Back; it's a revelation. Trejo pulls no punches, holds nothing back. Revisiting his old stomping grounds- the prison yard at San Quentin-, he says, "You got people here doing Forever." (In prison- THE ANIMAL FACTORY, as Eddie Bunker called it-, Steve Buscemi learns, "cell number" means something other than it does on the outside.) Trejo's account of the enthusiastic response to his first part was funny. "Where did you STUDY?" He responds by running down a list of places he robbed. In MACHETE, he says, "I play a Good bad guy." His role as a counselor is even more impressive. "Our prison guards make more money than our teachers." Dennis Hopper sums it up best: "He's a champion."

Just-11 I saw this as part of the Hollywood Film Festival. Unfamiliar with Danny Trejo's work I was totally captivated by the story of his life. From a troubled background with disinterested parents, Danny's life looked bleak. This is the story of Danny's descent into drugs, armed robbery, gangs, alcoholism, incarceration, despair and ultimate redemption as a drugs counsellor and tough-guy actor. As this was a special screening there was a Q&A with Danny and Director Joe Eckardt where they explained that this movie came from an interview with Danny on Latino actors that was supposed to be 3 minutes long, but Danny was so interesting they decided to tell his life story in a stand alone documentary. Danny's story isn't all tears - there's a lot of laughter too and some genuinely moving moments. The editing is erratic and the interviewer vapid but I really hope this gets distribution (and I hope the distributor invests in re-editing) as this story needs a wider audience.

striking_ninja Don't get me wrong. I respect Danny Trejo more than with the rest of the world along with the girl who interviewed him, however not only did this film physically damage my eyes (though don't get me wrong; I love Mr. Trejo's physique as much as any human should), but the obscure cutaways to people who are strikingly NOT Danny Trejo nearly put me in tears. Additionally, the editor often switched the movie from colour to black and white. I felt this was a terrible decision, on account of black and white film being incapable of capturing Trejo's full beauty.I do give credit to Trejo himself who knows how to hold the screen. He truly draws the viewer in--his expressions and phrases and tales of woe captivated me in ways I'd never thought imaginable. Storytelling has never been more fun, and I encourage Mr. Trejo to provide his services to young preschool children.As far as the film-making goes, the documentarians clearly had little interest in Trejo. First and foremost, the interviewer sounded more bored than I was. Secondly, the movie was sent to me WITHOUT a proper birthdate for Danny Trejo. This date is incredibly important to people all over the world. Every November 11th, people everywhere have a moment of silence to remember and reflect on the tougher moments in Trejo's life. This should NOT have been left out.Last and the polar opposite of least (aka "most") importantly, I expected at least ONE shower scene. Seriously. WTF. Just one. I mean, c'mon--I took my kids to see THIS? Well, I guess it's back to photoshopping for me.All in all, Trejo's as awesome as ever but this movie fails to live up to the hype created by my friends and I.

Greg Abbott A life-turned-metaphor, Danny Trejo's story is The Hero's Journey. Your life may not look like his life, but his life is all our lives.Danny's young adult life was defined by violent crime and drug addiction. He spent 11 years in California prisons. He'll be the first to tell you he got what he deserved. But in prison, in isolation, he stumbled across a wisdom worthy of parable: Only by helping others can you help yourself. Danny abandoned selfish for selfless and separateness for community, and in return his sadness turned to joy and darkness turned to light. Danny walked out of his spiritual and physical prison to serve others. And after prison, Danny's road to a better life came not at anyone's expense, but at everyone's increase: in love, in values, and in faith."Champion" is a documentary of one man's journey, limited by its subject, and vulnerable to boredom. But it's subject defies gravity, holding its audience up and lifting them from their seats. Danny Trejo proves the adage: Comedy equals tragedy plus time. Danny is an abundance of all three. Danny Trejo reminds us that redemption is beautiful. Reaching out to God saved his life. Faith in God changed his life. Listening to Danny Trejo just might change your life.Good Luck to the film's Producers. The film deserves it. Danny Trejo doesn't look for luck, he has faith. And, he earned it.