El Chicano

Just happened to find this movie on a Saturday night film scrolling expedition. As an Inglewood, Cali boy myself I decided to watch because the cast included a few Hollywood heavy hitters like George Lopez, Emilio Rivera and Noel Gugliemi. More backstory on the story's hero could have been included, but I was entertained by this East Los superhero story. Our brown brothers and sisters need more of these.

If you love The Punisher and Mayans MC, this movie is for you. Not a pretentious movie. Quite simple revenge movie but the main character is great, El Chicano. Love it for what is it, an action movie about a Mexican-American legend.

El Chicano (2 out of 5 stars).

El Chicano is that latino type of superhero with a story that plays like every origin superhero movie. But taking the concept and setting in East Los Angeles with cartel. However, the plot is forgettable. It is about twin brothers that are opposite with the law; one is an officer and the other is the opposite. When one loses his partner. He swears he will get revenge and kill anyone responsible. He covers himself up, wears a mask, and rides a motorcycle. Breaking into clubs and fight with the bad guys. The story is flat out dull. Every character is one dimensional and forgettable.

The acting is terrible. Everyone in the movie is giving a tedious performance. Every actor is delivering the same performance like the others. The script is emotionless, shallow, and dull.

It does have some action and shoot out sequences. The direction is just boring with characters that are really hard to care for. The script is missing the emotional connections with the good guys.

Overall, El Chicano is not that good of a superhero film. It is just a shallow action film with no emotional connections with the characters. The story is flat out boring and forgettable. Do not forget the actors in the movie seem very bored with the movie.

Was hoping this would be a surprise hit but it was pretty lacking. Takes way to long before it kicks into gear since most of the major events/details are done previously in the background. So the audience is always playing catch-up blind. But when the action comes it is nicely violent and gory. Then the movie is over just as quickly.

I didn't particular care for the story, which involves rival gangs, the cartel, and the mystery of the lead's twin brother's death (not a spoiler, it is established very early on and this site's synopsis isn't exactly comprehensive). The movie opens with them as kids one night, then jumps forward in time 20 years. Unfortunately, we see nothing of them growing up so you don't get a good grasp of the relationship drama that the film wants to portray. Some of it felt overly convoluted/confusing, other times like basic scene padding.

But on the other hand, this is a decent origin story so if there's ever a sequel then they should be able to skip all this fluff and really knock it out.

"El Chicano" has a limited release across the country and directed (and co-written) by Ben Hernandez Bray, distributed by Briarcliff Entertainment and produced by WarParty Films. Hernandez Bray is from the San Fernando Valley and of Irish and Mexican descent. He has been directing TV episodes of DC's Arrow and Super Girl series. Before his directing, he started as a stunt coordinator and his newest film explores a Latino "superhero" or "anti-hero", a vigilante in L.A. against gang and cartel subcultures complete with weapons and face mask adorned with pre-Columbian insignia .

It stars Raul Castillo, Aimee Garcia, Jose Pablo Cantillo, David Castaneda, Marco Rodriguez, Sal Lopez, Marlene Forte, Kate Del Castillo and George Lopez in a non-comic role. There is an interesting angle in the story as an urban war brews between Mexican nationals (cartel syndicates) and Mexican American communities ("El Chicano" is on this side). This film is dark, showing "barrio" culture steeped in violence.

Reviews have been both negative and positive; some feel the story takes too long to develop but it follows an "origin" story. While other reviews feel that when the action begins, it's strong with blood and violence. Considering that Hernandez Bray was a stunt actor and coordinator, this film delivers with fight action scenes and it's part of the AMC independent series.