By Scott Goldfine
Edward James Olmos (“Stand and Deliver”) makes his directing debut and stars as a character named Santana in this brutal tragedy about the adversity Mexican Americans face. Santana’s story, as told via flashbacks from his prison cell, shows an average teenage boy forced to become a ruthless gangster in order to survive.
The message is of urgent magnitude, but the film is relentlessly dreary and boring. William Forsythe is also along for the ride.
GRADE: C-
