American Me (1992) on Netflix
Esperanza and Pedro Santana are targeted by sailors in the Zoot Suit Riots. Their son Montoya later forms La Primera with Mundo and J.D., and the three are arrested for a break-in.
- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb7.1/1011,716 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes73%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1943 Los Angeles, Esperanza and Pedro Santana, a young Latino couple, are targeted by sailors during the Zoot Suit Riots; Pedro is beaten and Esperanza is gang-raped. Years later their teenaged son Montoya forms La Primera, a street gang, with his friends Mundo and J.D. The three commit crimes and are arrested for a break-in. Montoya's trouble continues, and he goes from reform school to prison, where he spends eighteen years and rises to lead a powerful gang.
Cast
- Roberto Martín Márquezas Acha (as Robert Martin Marquez)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about American Me (1992)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Actor Danny Trejo said in an interview that he was aware of 10 people having been murdered for their involvement with the film. The first killing came 12 days after the premiere, when one of the film's consultants, Charles "Charlie Brown" Manriquez, a member of La Eme, was killed in Ramona Gardens, L.A.'s oldest public housing project.
- Ana Lizarraga, a former gang member who by the time she was killed had become an anti-gang counselor, and who played a grandmother in the film, was murdered eight months after American Me was completed. A federal indictment accused La Eme of ordering the 1992 murder of Lizarraga.
- Mexican Mafia member Joe "Pegleg" Morgan, who served as the inspiration for the character of J.D., allegedly attempted to extort money from Olmos. Court documents show that Olmos was a victim in one extortion count contained in a 33-count federal indictment.
- Edward James Olmos originally offered Danny Trejo the role of Pedro Santana, but Trejo was unimpressed by the script and by his initial meeting. Before he could attend a second meeting, Trejo received a call from Joe "Pegleg" Morgan, the then-don of the Mexican Mafia, who approved of him choosing a role in Blood In, Blood Out instead.
- Parts of the film were shot in Folsom State Prison and California Institution for Men. Shooting lasted for three weeks and included 800 inmates and guards, who appeared as extras.
