Gangues de Los Angeles

I found this movie to be very different from what is normally seen in main stream films. You felt the grittiness of that life. I don't watch this genre very often, but this movie kept you engaged and feeling the palpitations of what was to come next. The feel of the culture was authentic and you felt the intensity of the characters in those situations. The story drove the inter-twinning of the characters to keep you engaged. This is just the beginning for this Director and I will definitely be watching for more to come from him. I hope to see more movies that represent La Raza in an authentic manner, which I feel was done very well here.

Movie critics try to evaluate the complete context of a film before putting text to screen. They ask themselves: who made it, what was the motivation, was it successful? In the case of first-time filmmaker Attila Korosi, Live and Die in East L. A. was a success, despite its, at times, indolent dialogue and impuissant performances from two of the main characters: Ishaan Bahri and Korosi himself (which he admitted to of his own acting during Q&As at the Sony Studios premiere).

Korosi's own personal back-story makes watching this film so fun! Thousands of independent directors set out every year to make cinema but few, for example, are capable of funding features with acclaimed actors such as Richard Cabral (Mayans M. C.), Robert LaSardo (The Mule) and Cesar Garcia of Breaking Bad. It is reported that Korosi used his earnings (and charm) from ride-sharing proceeds to co-produce this film - knowing this before watching his complex storyline play out, sets the viewer up for a good time (and don't get me started on the cleaver scene - gasps could be heard in the audience at the theatrical screening I attended)!

Now ask yourself this: how did this unknown writer/actor/director/producer get this film off the ground (shot in difficult-to-access East L. A.) and get it sold even!? The answer is attributed to his talent for using natural charisma to entice pros to work with him - i.e: an Emmy-nominated actor, an Emmy-nominated supervising sound editor, additional music from an award-winning songwriter (who was former staff at Hans Zimmer's music studio no less) and A CAST OF OVER 100 ACTORS!

Maybe this won't win any awards but Korosi has proven himself to be a veteran producer right from the starting line - which is fitting, because he came to the States by utilizing a running scholarship to move from a war-torn country with the dream of making movies in America and he crossed the finish line with an Amazon Prime release - won and (not) done.

A Poignant Meditation on Destiny and Identity

"Live and Die in East LA" is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant film that asks one of the oldest philosophical questions: Is our fate written in stone, or do our choices truly shape our lives? The film centers around an immigrant nurse and a young dreamer from a Chicano neighborhood who aspires to become an astronaut. Their stories interweave across three alternate timelines, each showing how small moments-and powerful, unseen forces-can lead to vastly different outcomes.

The narrative structure is ambitious but handled with care. Each timeline feels unique yet connected, exploring themes of systemic barriers, cultural identity, resilience, and hope. The performances are heartfelt and grounded, especially from the two leads, who bring depth and vulnerability to their roles. The cinematography captures the soul of East LA with authenticity, and the score subtly enhances the emotional undertones without overpowering them.

Though at times the pacing can feel uneven and some plot points could have used more development, the film's core message shines through: the delicate interplay between destiny and choice is more complex than we imagine. "Live and Die in East LA" is a bold, moving story that lingers long after the credits roll.

Live and die in East LA

life presents many choices the choices we made in past will determine the present and the choices we make today will determine our future

what we think or what we know or what we believe is in the end of little consequence the only thing of consequence is what we do

as a first movie the director Attila did his best in this movie, his work is very natural without any propaganda, we should support new people with creative ideas such as expressing what they really wanna share also with a message to the people from a movie.

Director Attila shared a valuable message through this movie about choices and consequence

political involvement turned thousands of Hollywood movies into effective propaganda so as a freedom of film making we should appreciate people who making their own like director Attila.

When Attila Korosi gets ahold of the film noir tradition, it comes alive in Live and Die in East LA. Beginning with a caterpillar animation, he lets his aud know there is more to the thrills and violence than usual. He adds the figurative value of showing that drug-dealing and murderous dreams can lead to a moth rather than a butterfly.

As his self-named character, Attila, he leads a band of sometimes dense, and in the case of his sister, Anita, just rebellious, relatives and friends into a labyrinth of drug-dealing to rescue her and learn enough to stay out of trouble for a lifetime.

Despite the gritty hell they descend into as they violently try to survive in a deal that will free Anita, Attila amazingly keeps his crew in a more-or-less benign state because next to the skin-headed, tattoo'd bad boys, they do look like angels. In their misguided sense of righteousness, they are nonetheless canny enough to avoid being murdered, in most cases.

One of the blessings of Live and Die is that unlike in other noirs, Korosi has dialogue that can be heard and shots that can be seen. He has not given into the figurative dark shots and mumblecore speech that often robs the aud of seeing and hearing each frame.

As Korosi marches toward success in the independent, thriller mode, he may very well branch off into the more romantic thriller motif, carrying his caterpillar into the butterfly stage, of say, Affleck's The Town or McDonagh's in Bruges. In any case, he has an independent wi8nner in Live and Die in East LA.