American Me is a 1992 biographical crime drama film produced and directed by Edward James Olmos, his first film as a director, and written by Floyd Mutrux and Desmond Nakano. Olmos also stars as the film's protagonist, Montoya Santana. Executive producers included record producer Lou Adler, screenwriter Mutrux, and Irwin Young It depicts a fictionalized account of the founding and rise to power of the Mexican Mafia in the California prison system from the 1950s into the 1980s. The film depicts 30 years of Chicano gang life in Los Angeles. It focuses on Montoya Santana , a teen who, with his... friends, J.D. and Mundo , form their own gang. They soon find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time and are soon arrested for a break-in. Santana soon murders a fellow inmate - who had raped him - at juvenile hall and has his sentence extended into prison after he turns 18 . In prison, he becomes the leader of a powerful gang, both inside and outside the prison. He is finally released; once out, he tries to relate his life experiences to the society that has changed a lot since he left.
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| Release date: | March 13, 1992 |
| Directed by: | Edward James Olmos |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 125 Minutes |
| Producer: | Lou Adler, Robert M. Young, Sean Daniel, Floyd Mutrux |
| Music by: | Dennis Lambert, Dennis Lambert |
| Screenplay by: | Floyd Mutrux |