American Me is an American story. It is the often told story of an American entrepreneur who uses any means necessary to reach the top of his profession, and his inability to see the chaos he creates later destroys him and brings him down. Usually it is in reference to Italian gangsters, mafiosos who've imigrated to the United States, sometimes it is even the story of legitimate business who create vast empires and build walls so high around themselves that they can no longer see out into the real world. In this case the empire is one of crime, the world of drug peddling and murder is the world these characters have been brought up in. Santana (Edward James Olmos) begins his life of crime as a youth in the street gangs of East LA, he eventually finds himself in juvenile detention, and after he murders a fellow inmate who raped him, he finds himself on a dizzying climb to the top of the drug underworld in the California penal system. Santana has a partner in crime named J.D. who is a white kid who grew up with the latino street gangs speaks and acts like one of them. The story is epic and features a lot of real life places, like the prisons, and real life temptations, as any Latino in any big city in America can tell you, these gangs are often seen as viable alternatives in a country where the majority sees them as criminals before they even exit the womb. This is Edward James Olmos' Citizen Kane, he starred in and directed American Me, and his passion for the material is evident throughout. Ultimately it is a tragic story, for every ounce of success Santana attains through violence and intimidation, pain and suffering is his repayment. To call it a cautionary tale would be putting it lightly, it is not quite the "Scared Straight" style shocker but it does put a damper on the "glamour" of the gangster lifestyle. American Me is a must see for anyone who is interested in the Latino experience in America. Be aware, however, that this film is as indicative of Latinos as The Godfather is of Italians, that is to say, it only represents a small percentage of the real population, but it is compelling viewing none the less, and a classic of Latino American cinema.