Boulevard Nights

I saw this film when I was in High School back in 79. It still remains one of my favorites. This was one of, if not the first film featuring the Cholo gangster life of the 70's. I've probably seen the movie 100 times. Sure it has it's flaws, (ex chavala being poorly pronounced), but I grew up around guys like this, and not all of them had prefect Spanish pronunciation. Danny De La Paz nailed the Chuco character. The Big Happy character really brought the true gang leader attitude. Even Raymond, the ex-gangster vet showed his struggle with his brother and dealing with the loss of a family member at the hands of another gang. This film is a classic that blows all films of the same vain away, and I've seen them all.(ex. Walk Proud with Bobby Benson was a joke, Blood in Blood Out, entertaining but nowhere near as real as Boulevard Nights. Long Live The Big VGV!

this is the greatest movie ever made. i have seen other movies but none are as authentic to the times as boulevard nights. no stereotypes or exaggerated characters. no movie ever made on any budget with any great actors pulled off such a believable urban setting. no m-16 toting ninjas, no nortenos and surenos kicking it together. a common mistake, back in the day, vatos didn'thave gang signs it must take a low budget chicano movie made in the time to be more authentic then hollywood can buy

I was looking forward to watching this and I finally did get an opportunity to watch the film. I found the film content to be of a low quality story line which attempted to focus on the struggle of young men and their women living in the East Los Angeles burroughs which were run by the Mexican street gangs in the evenings.

Emphasis was directed at two brothers one who willingly entered the street life and embraced it and the other brother more cautious of the pitfalls of hanging around the troublemakers who by the their gamg name and late night activities would lead them into a life of crime and violence.

Of course there has to be a bit of romance involved as well as the muscle cars of the era but the story line itself was very predictable and there were no outstanding nor memorable perforfances by any of the actors.

Unfortunately I must profess I was disappointed and I would recommend a pass on this gang related film. I give it a lower than desired 4 out of 10 IMDb rating.

I was eleven years old when this movie came out. Further, I think my dad took my brother and me to the Golden Gate Theater in East L.A. to see it. My parents used it as an example of what not to be like when we grew up. I was born in East L.A. (Santa Marta Hospital) and grew up near East L.A. I saw in life what I saw on the screen with Boulevard Nights. On the street that I grew up on there were some vatos with low-riders and I remember the hopping competitions and the oldies music. One particular vato who was very nice to the local kids ended up getting stabbed (although I cannot recall if he died). They were most likely 18th Street gang bangers, which was the most notorious gang in L.A. back then. My dad moved us out of that area when I was 14 which may be a big part of why my brother and I didn't end up like our former neighbors.

I have to say that for me, Boulevard Nights was authentic. It was like the real thing. My dad never took me to Whittier Boulevard in East L.A. nor Pacific Boulevard in Huntington Park nor Valley Boulevard in El Monte on cruising nights during this era, but I imagine that it was like in this movie. I've only seen the movie twice. Once when it was released in theaters and again when I was 16 or 17 on VHS. Colors could not compare, at least not on a personal level for me. Now at 42 years of age, I'm going to have to check it out again.

Compared to all street-gang movies dating back from old to new, boulevard nights is by far the only one that portrays what Hispanic gang-members were really like. So much in fact that Hispanic street gangs of today became that way by imitating the lifestyle in the movie. I am not going to compare this to prison flicks but when it comes to gang flicks it rates way higher than "Colors" or others that I cant think of by name.

A must see. As for the actor "Danny Delapaz", he was perfect playing the part of "Chuco" because he wasn't acting, he really is one.

I have seen him in person at Low Rider events and He really dresses and talks just like he did in the movie.