Product Description

Now, from the director of AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN and the producer of LA BAMBA comes BLOOD IN ... BLOOD OUT, a critically acclaimed modern-day epic. Within the rich and colorful Chicano culture of East Los Angeles, three cousins raised as brothers fiercely live by a generations-old tradition of family -- a power stronger than law, a force deeper than friendship. In one life-shattering moment, the trio is torn apart, forcing them to follow three separate paths: one searching for truth in the law, one expressing his passion through art, and one finding power in prison. Yet through it all, family and honor keep their lives intertwined as each strives for survival and power!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2746 in VHS
• Released on: 1999-07-13
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Original language: Arabic, English, Spanish
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 180 minutes

Amazon.com
Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman) directed this 1993 epic about Chicano gang wars in the California prison system and the differing and tragic paths of three boyhood friends. Half-brothers Paco and Cruz grow up with their cousin Miklo in Chicano Los Angeles, and each in turn is influenced by their violent environment and the prevalence of drugs on their streets. Cruz becomes an artist but winds up tragically addicted to heroin, while Miklo serves time for murder and Paco becomes a cop, setting the stage for a confrontation between the two when Miklo is released from prison. The film strives for an epic feel but takes too long to set up its interweaving stories. It is notable, however, for some fine acting on the part of Benjamin Bratt and Damian Chiapa, as well as smaller roles by Billy Bob Thornton, Ving Rhames and Delroy Lindo. Its depictions of life in the California prison system are harrowing and powerful, and serve as the centerpiece of this urban drama. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews

A Real Depiction of the Chicano Culture & Lifestyle
We live in an entertainment society where the face of a minority tends to represent the face of a drug dealer or a gang member. Although that is a partial truth to a sad reality that many in our families face, this movie finally serves as a proper representation to people from other cultures and from other communities of life in the streets of East L.A. as a Chicano.

Paco Aguilar (Benjamin Bratt) shows the turn-arounds that many in our community have made for many years now, being able to change from a life of gangs and crime to becoming a figure of authority and respect. Cruz Candelaria (Jesse Borrego) shows how the gifts that are within our fellow brothers and sisters can be tarnished by the devils that are within the drugs that reside in our streets. And last but not least, Miklo Velka (Damian Chapa) shoes the struggles that many in people face from being of mestizo blood, which is true to members of mixed race from any background or ethnicity. His fight to belong leads him towards the world that exist in the confines of San Quentin.

Very few movies have given light to the true reality that exists in our beautful culture, and Blood In Blood Out is at the top of that list. I am somebody who has a little of Paco, Cruz, and Miklo within me. I don't care who you are, after watching this movie, you will know that you have a little bit of all three of them in you too. This is a great movie whether you are Chicano/Latino, Anglo, Asian, African-American, or any other race. This belongs in all movie collections of any culturally-concious movie goer, in any format.

Gimmi some chong chong!
This movie has got to be the best Chinano movie ever made. It shows the beutiful culture and life, good and bad of the Chicano lifestyle. It tells the story of how a lot of us Chicanos are living, and I'm not just talking about prison life. This movie was so real; not only where the scripts realistic, but they used the real prison San Quintin. The inmates where real, there were only 8 actors in the prison scenes. In addition, this movie had a lot of funny scenes. I must have seen this movie about 8 times on VHS, and 4 times on DVD. I recomend you get the DVD version because it has a lot of scenes that were deleted on VHS.

VIVA LA ONDA!!!
Blood In Blood Out is one the finest movies ever made that represents life for chicano youths. Starting in the early 1970's, this movie chronicles the times and trials of Miklo Velka. Miklo (Damian Chapa) is a kid growing up in two different worlds. He is a chicano, who takes the appearance of his white father. So he fights to get respect from his chicano family. Here you meet his cousin Cruz (Jesse Borrego) Candelaria and Paco (Benjamin Bratt) Aguilar, who treat Miklo with little respect, because of his skin tone. So he has to show his toughness to his cousins in order to earn their respect. This is where the trouble begins for the three cousins. Starting with a random act of violence against another street gang, the plot thickens with Cruz being hospitalized and the gang of Miklo, Paco and others vowing revenge for Cruz. A simple revenge turns sour and the life is taken on accident, so the boys are on the run. Only to be caught and their lives are changed drastically. Miklo is sent to jail where he has to start over to earn the respect from the other chicanos, while Paco joins the service to avoid jail time. Throughout the movie you see Miklo character evolve int o a great leader of men in the Prison, while Paco career evolves on the other side of the law. we also cant forget about Cruz, whose life turns to shambles because of an addiction, which nearly costs him his life! The story evolves as time passes and the three of them get older, and wiser, and before you know it Miklo is out of jail and looking to go on the straight and narrow. Paco and Miklo's lives interact again as Miklo attempts to, but fails to stay straight. Their lives are sent in to a spiral as Miklo ende up in jail again and this time it is Paco's fault, I wont say how it ends, because I want you to see this movie, but let me tell you the subplots and twists and turns in this movie are EXCELLENT! I reccommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good epic drama!