X
  • 1992
  • R
  • Universal Pictures
  • 2 h 5 m
  • 1992
  • R
  • Universal Pictures
  • 2 h 5 m

Summary A powerful, stunning examination of a Latino crime lord, set against a backdrop of prejudice and hopelessness. Santana, a youth from the streets of East Los Angeles, becomes the leader of the Mexican Mafia behind the gates of Folsom Prison. With his two childhood friends, Santana rules the prison with an iron fist, continuing a vicious c...

Directed By: Edward James Olmos

Written By: Floyd Mutrux, Desmond Nakano

  • 1992
  • R
  • Universal Pictures
  • 2 h 5 m
  • 1992
  • R
  • Universal Pictures
  • 2 h 5 m

American Me

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 11 Critic Reviews
66
User Score Mixed or Average Based on 5 User Ratings
5.4
My Score
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Where to Watch

Summary A powerful, stunning examination of a Latino crime lord, set against a backdrop of prejudice and hopelessness. Santana, a youth from the streets of East Los Angeles, becomes the leader of the Mexican Mafia behind the gates of Folsom Prison. With his two childhood friends, Santana rules the prison with an iron fist, continuing a vicious c...

Directed By: Edward James Olmos

Written By: Floyd Mutrux, Desmond Nakano

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 11 Critic Reviews
66
73% Positive
8 Reviews
9% Mixed
1 Review
18% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 11 Critic Reviews
66
73% Positive
8 Reviews
9% Mixed
1 Review
18% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
88
Gut-wrenching, brutal, and powerful, American Me is not enjoyable in the conventional sense, but nevertheless stands out as one of the year's most impressive purely dramatic offerings.
By James Berardinelli FULL REVIEW
80
In American Me, Edward James Olmos has achieved several important goals, but one outweighs the rest: he has made a film that will scare the hell out of any inner-city youth not already lost to the hopelessness of gangs, drugs and prison. [9 Mar 1992]
By Kirk Honeycutt FULL REVIEW
78
American Me is crafted with heart and conviction and intelligence. It demands no less of its audience. It insists that there are no quick fixes, but that solutions are of the utmost urgency. It demonstrates how the capacity for change resides within each individual.
By Marjorie Baumgarten FULL REVIEW
70
The criminal life is portrayed with all the glamour of a mugshot in American Me, a powerful indictment of the cycle of violence bred by the prisons and street culture.
FULL REVIEW
63
An ambitious drama about gang warfare and the culture of violence, American Me is nothing if not earnest. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean it's a particularly successful film; for every bluntly powerful moment, there's another that's crude and obvious, sometimes excruciatingly so.
FULL REVIEW
60
But Mr. Olmos's direction, from a screenplay by Floyd Mutrux and Desmond Nakano, is dark, slow and solemn, so much so that it diverts energy from the film's fundamental frankness. Violent as it is, American Me is seldom dramatic enough to bring its material to life.
By Janet Maslin FULL REVIEW
30
This solo project by first-time producer/director Edward James Olmos makes itself out to be hard-hitting, social commentary. But it's too longwinded and cliched to deserve that description. [13 Mar 1992, p. N47]
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 5 User Ratings
5.4
40% Positive
2 Ratings
20% Mixed
1 Rating
40% Negative
2 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 5 User Ratings
5.4
40% Positive
2 Ratings
20% Mixed
1 Rating
40% Negative
2 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Hivemind, Olmos Productions, Universal Pictures, YOY
Release Date Mar 13, 1992
Duration 2 h 5 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline In prison they are the law. On the streets they are the power.
View All Details

Awards

Tokyo International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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