American Me
1992 · Movie · R · 125 min · ★ 7.4 · 70% critics
After 18 years in a California prison, a street-gang leader returns to his old neighborhood, determined to live differently. But former gang associates pressure him back into the same violent, criminal life, turning his release into a dangerous struggle over loyalty and control.
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Details
- Years
- 1992
- Release date
- 1992-03-13
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Critic score
- 70/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.4/10 (400 votes)
About
Not for you if you want a light prison drama, because American Me leans into gritty gang life and intense brutality throughout; if you do, you may prefer similar, hard-edged titles like Menace II Society or Colors.
Pros: gritty prison realism; intense performances; powerful gang drama | Cons: extremely graphic content; uneven pacing; some storytelling complaints
Themes
- prison
- juvenile prison
- jail
- east los angeles
- hood
- gang
- racism
- mexican american
- lowrider
Cast & crew
Edward James Olmos
as Montoya Santana
William Forsythe
as J.D.
Pepe Serna
as Mundo
Panchito Gómez
as Young Montoya Santana
Steve Wilcox
as Young J.D.
Danny De La Paz
as Puppet
Sal Lopez
as Pedro Santana
Dyana Ortelli
as Yolanda
William Smith
as Deacon
- EF
Evelina Fernández
as Julie
Directed by Edward James Olmos