Blood in Blood Out - Verschworen auf Leben und Tod

This is one of those most people saw by mistake, late one night on cable. I did too, and found myself talking about it for weeks. The only thing that keeps this movie from being rated higher is its length. At times it is too drawn out, but for the most part it is well acted, beautifully shot considering the settings, and tells a good story.

I have yet to to find a person who doesn't fal in love with this movie.

I am quite often moved to comment when a movie has a wide range of good to bad reviews. This movie is a classic case. Several people called it the worst movie they had ever seen, or words to that effect. Is it? Hardly. It also isn't the best movie ever made. It is long, I'll grant the complaints about that, but one of the beauties of video is you don't have to watch it all at one time. Over-acted? I think that has to do with the genre.

Okay, it isn't the best movie ever made. But I can sum up all of its shortcomings with one contraticting word. It is compelling. I can very much relate to the reviewer who mentioned getting hooked on it on tv in the middle of the night. It is a compelling movie in spite of its shortcomings. Even if it seems overacted, it is compelling because it seems so real in spite of the overacting.

i believe that is one of the better movies ever to come out. a truly amazing story of what life can entail between brothers and how the choices you make defines your direction in life. OK, one might argue that it is rather cheap in the budgetary sense and consequently not a respectable director nor actors are in it makes the flick only more interesting. The acting is however quite good and the prisoners are more than realistic. In other words it gives a nice insight in US (prison-gang)life. On top of that i personally am a great fan of true stories as this is. it is a shame that bad distribution has not given this the place in movie history that it deserves.

I first saw this film a few years ago when my brother stumbled across it in a bargain basement basket bin! What a travesty for a start that it had not made a bigger mark at the box office and had been consigned to a cheap basket! I'm sure if released with more fanfare this time it would reach the audience it deserves! It is a story of rival gangs, family, love, betrayal, loyalty, acceptance - every film cliché you could think of.

It thoroughly explores the destiny of its 3 young stars as they struggle to make their way with the life path they have taken. I won't give away the plot as I believe anyway who truly loves films should see this film in its full glory with no knowledge of the plot or how the film eventually plays out.

I have been reading the postings, and many negative comments have been made about this film, but I believe this film stands up to much of its unfair criticism.

I will admit though, that I did squirm at some of Miklo's earlier expressions in the film, but a 3/4 of the way through he really picks up the baton and completely takes over. In fact, he is a revelation.

There are some cheesy bits of dialogue, but I don't think this takes away from the piece in any way.

It is a long film, but it needed to be. I don't think there are ANY scenes they could have done without - it is very effective, just the way it is.

Anybody who has seen it and didn't like it first time round, I employ you to rent it/buy it again and give it another try.

I purchased another copy of it again just a few days ago. I watched it yesterday and was still moved - as if it was the first time I saw it.

Its definitely TOP TEN best film material! MUST SEE!

At first glance one feels this is a TV movie, starting with a sunny day somewhere in east LA and a guy coming in and greeting anyone in Spanish, with colorful Mexicans all over. You may think, based on the movie title as well, that it will be one of those gang action movies where the hero beats up everybody. It certainly starts that way, but the movie is not like that.

After a while, when the plot expands a little more, you find that the white dude that comes to greet his "Chicano" friends is a halfbreed American Mexican who hates his white father and considers himself "brown on the inside". He is also on parole and only days until he gets to be 18 and be totally free. Then he makes a stupid move. Now you think it is going to be one of those prison movies, with the misguided youth and the corrupt system. Perhaps he is going to go to prison and beat up everybody. That ain't it, either.

It takes maybe a little to see that the movie isn't even close to being over so you look to the length of the film. It's 3 hours long! The fact that it starts showing the year in which things happen gives the final clue: it is an epic story. The complexity of the characters hint at a book or something like that and, indeed, the story is written by poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, based on his personal experience. It's almost a biopic.

And look at the cast! Damian Chapa is pretty known, but also Benjamin Bratt, Delroy Lindo, Victor Rivers (can't have a movie about Mexicans without Rivers - I really think he should have gotten more main roles), Billy Bob Thornton, Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo and even Jimmy Santiago Baca himself as "Gato", who I don't really remember.

About the movie itself, its main strength is the characters. Each of the lead characters is being carefully sketched and then transformed by the story. The ending, most of all, explains the feelings and reality of the people involved. There were criticisms that the movie was overacted sometimes. Perhaps, but most of it was actually in character. Miklo is someone who is desperately, so desperately, trying to belong. Of course he overacts. His whole character is made up in his head.

So, as a conclusion to this too long review: this is not a masterpiece, but it is a movie about the truth of people in those times, and it is well done. Truthful films are more and more scarce as the time goes by. If you find the time and mood to watch this white Mexican biopic, I don't think you will be disappointed.