Bound by Honor (1993)

Nice effects though.

Good concept, poorly executed.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The East L.A. milieu and some of the characters seem familiar, because some of the same ground was covered by "American Me," the fiery 1992 film about Chicanos and prison by Edward James Olmos, who directed himself in the lead. "Bound by Honor" covers similar material in a less passionate and finally less meaningful way. Olmos would not have been capable, for example, of this film's evasive final shot, in which Paco and Cruz do a dance together in front of a mural showing them at the beginning of their lives - while the camera, in a helicopter, climbs gradually into the sky to manufacture a false feeling of conclusion for the film."Bound by Honor" contains some effective performances, some moments of deeply felt truth, and a portrait of prison life that I assume is accurate. What seems to be missing is a clear idea of why the movie was made, and what the director, Taylor Hackford, wanted to say with it. The outcome of the hero's life leads us to the ancient lesson that power corrupts. But we knew that. And if power had not corrupted Miklo, his life would still have been a wasted one. There are no role models in this nihilistic story.Much of the movie shows a prison world where guards and officials essentially stand aside while prison gangs run the institution, distribute favors, make rules and enforce their laws with violence. The prisons are divided into three camps: the Chicanos, the blacks and the whites, who are of course portrayed as racist, although in fact they're exactly as racist as the others. Few prisoners of any race in this film can imagine themselves outside the roles assigned by their color. Their myopia is underlined by the enigma of the hero, who is not as brown as he thinks he should be.The gangs rule through uneasy truces and alliances, and the central purpose of Miklo's life is to bring about an alliance between the Hispanics and the blacks, to crush the power of the whites. Miklo works at first with the leader of the Chicanos, and then, benefitting from the treachery of another, he becomes their leader himself. His acquiescence in treachery is rather surprising, since it doesn't seem prepared for in the film.Olmos, in "American Me," seemed more saddened and angered by the realities of street crime, gangs and prison life. If the goal of "Bound by Honor" is authenticity, that was merely the starting point for Olmos. He tried to show a character learning and growing - discovering that there is more to life, and more to being a person, than simply lining up with those who are like you, in order to hate those who are not like you.Hackford has said in interviews that "Bound by Honor" is an attempt to show the actual realities of Chicano life in East Los Angeles. But the movie essentially just does a good job of showing us the externals that regular moviegoers, TV viewers and newspaper readers have already seen. What "Bound by Honor" lacks is a vision to bring meaning to the material. Life can certainly be meaningless, but art can sometimes suggest ways in which we can understand it.The movie's lack of purpose is all the more disappointing because Hackford has directed a well-made film. The performances in all of the supporting roles have the ring of absolute authenticity, although Damian Chapa, in the lead, seems too introspective and passive. The narcissism and weakness of his character would be better suited to a major supporting role; he could be best friend, not hero, except that this film doesn't have a hero.Among the others, Delroy Lindo stands out as a black elder statesman among the prisoners (he was the Harlem crime kingpin East Indian Archie in "Malcolm X"). And Enrique Castillo, as the older Chicano prison gang boss who Miklo feels moves too slowly, gives a performance of depth and honesty - we feel that he understands the situation, instead of simply reacting to it.Miklo's two "brothers," the policeman Paco (Benjamin Bratt) and the artist Cruz (Jesse Borrego), seem to contain complete stories within themselves; cutting to them from Miklo's story, we enter other, intriguing worlds. But Miklo, at the center of everything, is called upon to carry too much of the screenplay's assorted baggage.If he is confused, it is because his makers are; faced with a situation that seems made out of tragic dead ends, they do not know where to go with it, and so neither does Miklo.

I enjoy the crime/thriller genre and this really hit the spot. It had action, moral dilemmas, suspense, twists and drama. There is even emotion in this movie and not just a typical gangster movie.After watching this, It opened up my eyes to the life of Spanish/Mexican gangs and the troublesome lives they live. It is a story of innocence, revenge and betrayal. It is also a story of coming of age and learning. Most importantly it is a movie that can deliver powerful messages to the audience whom feels gangsterism is a symbol or status.I applaud the writer, the director and all the actors for producing such a accomplished piece of cinema. The acting is very genuine and all actors feel comfortable in their roles and helps the movies progression. The authenticity is also there and much research has gone into this. Although this is a lengthy film, over 2 hours long, it is well worth the time to watch the story unfold as it would in the real world. Viewers of the movie should be aware some scenes are not for the faint hearted and may cause you to gasp in shock. At one point I even shouted at the screen, but I wont divulge which scene this was.Please watch this movie, if you are thirsty for something different and not commercial, this is the pick.

This film really is a peer of The Godfather. It should be thought of in those terms. Both films track members of a family who are in mob-like organizations. "Blood In, Blood Out" tracks the fate of family members involved in gangs but some of whom try to go straight, while The Godfather is more concerned with the internal machinations of the criminal organization.That said, the films tracks several boys who during their youth are parts of illegal criminal families. I think this film is criminally underrated. Both the first and second Godfather films deserve their plaudits and the performances, direction, and script combined to make for compelling inter-generational dramas. However, this film is no different. It does not track such a lengthy period of time, but we see significant character development, multi-layered story lines, and large numbers of peripheral characters who also play important parts in the film.The acting in this film is brilliant from the three leads Benjamin Bratt, Jesse Borrego, and most notably, Damian Chapa. Chapa as Miclo is the light-skinned, blue-eyed Latino whose appearance has always driven him to prove how loyal a Latino he was and which leads him into a lot of trouble. Chapa's performance depicts Miclo as scared and unsure as a youngster, but as he grows older, he becomes more sure of himself and more committed to his lifestyle. Chapa delivers an intense, energetic performance which really should have led to more opportunities for him, had he wanted them. Jesse Borrego as Cruz is a talented artist whose life falls prey to drugs but who survives and doesn't forget his origins and values. Borrego make Cruz an imp with a twinkle in his eye which never goes out, no matter how far he falls and Borrego's performance also shows a great deal of depth. Bratt is Paco, perhaps the most troubled as a youngster, but whose life changes fortuitously before it can spin too far out of control. The three leads are cousins, and their courses in life converge and diverge in interesting and not unrealistic ways.There is great supporting work from actors like Delroy Lindo, Enrique Castillo, Carlos Carrasco, Victor Rivers, and many others. The script and screenplay are fantastic, chronicling about 13 or 14 years with great ease but without sacrificing complexity. The story is based on the experiences of artist Jimmy Santiago Baca and he helped to write the screenplay.For me, the relationships among the races in prison is the most fascinating part of the film. Race defines one's position in prison. The unity of the members of a race will determine how powerful that race is in prison. This is not a film for kids. The violence is not soft-pedaled. It is brutal and unapologetic. Director Taylor Hackford should be applauded for not shrinking from a not particularly feelgood story. He allows the film to breathe and allows the tragedy and triumph to play out. I have read some reviewers critique the length of this film and while I sympathize, I don't know which parts they would remove. I don't find that the film drags at all and the relationships within the family, within racial groups, and between racial groups, make this a film that will withstand repeated viewing.

Dear fellow movie watchers, In the writing of this review I got a bit carried away, going over the 1000 words limit. Because my words contain the truth, I dared not delete any, and instead decided to host it elsewhere.Namely, here: http://the-written-truth.blogspot.com/I urge all those who are about to watch this movie with high expectations to read it, before they too plunge themselves in the dark depths I had to suffer.This also gives those who don't like reading, or perhaps don't like to see their poor taste in movies challenged a chance to skip this review. This review of truth.-Cheers