American Me

Theatrical Release Date: 1992 03 13 (USA)

UPC: 025192057427

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Profanity, Substance Abuse]

Summary: Edward J. Olmos made his directorial bow with the powerhouse crime saga American Me. Olmos stars as street-gang leader Santana, who during his 18 years in Folsom Prison rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. But his old gang buddies force him back into his old habits. The omniprescene of the "Mexican Mafia" in the southwest is sufficient to make this film a daunting, demoralizing experience. Upon its release, American Me received a lot of press play due to the fact that Olmos shot his Folsom sequences on location, using actual prisoners as extras and bit players. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Crime

Features: ccLives in Hazard documentary

American Me

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 01/07/2003

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DS Dolby Surround (4.0)

Runtime: 126 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Like Two People
2. Pedro & Esperanza
3. 16 in '59
4. Juvie Hall
5. Folsom
6. The Delivery System
7. Family Business
8. A Job for Little Puppet
9. Freedom
10. Your Business Is Our Business
11. New Shoes
12. Scagnelli's Revenge
13. Which Sailor's Blood?
14. War With the B.G.F.
15. Little Puppet's Wedding
16. People Like You
17. Back to Prison
18. La eMe's Way
19. La Primera Lives!
20. End Titles

Donald Guarisco

This searing drama, the directorial debut of star Edward James Olmos, is an ambitious fusion of crime epic ? la The Godfather and social expos?. It's a tough balance to pull off, but American Me works because it maintains this agenda by balancing brutal realism with dramatic subtlety. As it charts the way the criminal justice system allows misguided kids to become hardened criminals, the film achieves an impressive sense of tragic grandeur without ever pulling its punches or giving in to cheap melodrama. That said, American Me isn't an easy film to warm up to for more than one reason. The first is its refusal to flinch from the ugly reality of its subject matter; though it is never dealt out in a glorified manner, American Me presents the savage violence of the drug trade with a gruesome, vivid sense of detail that will shock many people. The other reason is that it doesn't give the viewer an identification figure to latch on to; the central characters aren't presented in a way that inspires sympathy, and none of them ever experience an audience-friendly moment of redemption. These factors may limit the appeal of American Me, but it remains well worth the effort for the brave viewer because it is an extremely well-made film. Olmos reveals himself to be quite a stylist behind the camera, making deft use of cross-cutting to amplify the film's level of drama during key sequences and crafting a number of nerve-jangling set pieces along the way (an assassination during a prison film screening is a standout). He also gives a powerful yet controlled performance as Santana, and his work is skillfully supported by an array of distinguished supporting performances, most notably Evelina Fernandez as his ill-fated love interest and Danny De La Paz as a colleague whose faithfulness to his criminal organization comes with a heavy cost. To sum up, American Me is not for every viewer but anyone interested in a powerful, realistic crime drama will find it a rewarding experience. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Tony Giorgio  Actor 
Bennie Moore  Actor 
Michael Shaner  Actor 
Lance August  Actor 
Robby Robinson  Actor 
Rafael Robledo  Actor 
Abraham Verduzco  Actor 
Paul Bollen  Actor 
Jaime Gomez  Actor 
Dyana Ortelli  Actor 
Don Pugsley  Actor 
Robert Pucci  Actor 
Bob Morones  Actor 
Richard Lee-Sung  Actor 
Rodney Rincon  Actor 
Jacob Vargas  Actor 
Rolando Molina  Actor 
Manny Perry  Actor 
Ron Thompson  Actor 
Roberto Martin Marquez  Actor 
Ken Medlock  Actor 
Joe Aubel  Actor 
Alex Brown  Actor 
Cody Glenn  Actor 
Grace Morley  Actor 
William Smith  Actor 
Lou Adler  Producer 
Sean Daniel  Producer 
Claude Gaudette  Composer (Music Score) 
Dennis Lambert  Composer (Music Score) 
Floyd Mutrux  Producer 
Floyd Mutrux  Screenwriter 
Desmond Nakano  Screenwriter 
Edward James Olmos  Director 
Edward James Olmos  Producer 
Irwin W. Young  Producer 
Robert M. Young  Producer 
Edward James Olmos  Actor 
William Forsythe  Actor 
Pepe Serna  Actor 
Danny De La Paz  Actor 
Evelina Fernandez  Actor 
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa  Actor 
Daniel Villarreal  Actor 
Sal Lopez  Actor 
Daniel Haro  Actor 
Domingo Ambriz  Actor 
Vic Trevino  Actor 
Tom Bower  Actor 
Panchito Gomez  Actor 
Richard Coca  Actor 

Country: USA