Operatic, but the ridiculous, over-the-top kind of operatic. Epic in scope, the execution is fatally sabotaged by the awful dialogue, and a lot of hammy actors running wild (plus it looks like 80's TV). Virtually all lines are delivered with some or all of the following: a) grunting, b) yelling, c) snarling, or d) a sing-song caricature of a Mexican accent. The end result is a bit like a chicano "Caged Heat" with guys instead of chicks. There's a good movie lost in that material there somewhere.

With better acting and dialog this movie could have been great.

This movie should not rate nearly as high as it does, but for some reason this movie worked for me. It's overlong clichéd and overly familiar in parts, but damned if it wasn't fascinating. The acting is hit or miss, but there are some memorable performances and scenes.. A lot of familiar faces in supporting roles.

so gangster

what Piglet said

Vatos Locos, hombre. Great movie. Sometimes cheesy, but I was higly entertained with it.

Nice

OK movie. Seen better, seen worse.

Originally the director's cut spanned 5,5 hrs! Now it's 3 and we can see why he originally chose 5,5 hrs. He doesn't manage to tell a story in a 3 hours feature that other directors tell in 90 mins. Lousy narration here, at best fair performances. What renders this movie interesting still is the connection to the real story of "la eMe". My best guess is that the director is too close to the real thing that he cannot decide to drop that plot or this scene that so. close might see indispensable.

As the name suggests it's about honor, finding where you belong in life and "familia", all old style. I remember loving this movie when it came out and I won't rewatch and ruin whatever is left in my mind.

AKA Blood in, blood out

A big fan of this as a youth. Probably best to stay away from re-viewings.

Long time ago. Had a certain impact on me.

Watchable, but come on people... this is one of the cheesiest "gang" movies I've ever seen. Even by 1993 standards.