Blood In, Blood Out (Bound by Honor) (1993)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Featurette-Making Of
Rating
Year Of Production	1993
Running Time	172:59
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Taylor Hackford
Studio Distributor	Walt Disney Studios Home Ent.	Starring	Jesse Borrego Benjamin Bratt Enrique Castillo Damian Chapa
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$24.95	Music	Bill Conti

    After directing high concept Hollywood films such as An Officer and a Gentleman, White Nights and Against All Odds, Taylor Hackford tried his hand at Blood In Blood Out, an ambitious film detailing the life of three Chicano brothers who are drawn into the dangerous gang life of the lesser districts of East Los Angeles.

    Blood In Blood Out was inspired by the poetry of Chicano writer Jimmy Santiago Baca who was also involved in the writing of the script for Blood In Blood Out. Baca’s involvement would lend a sense of realism to the epic project as he has lived each of the lives the brothers endure throughout the film. Also the events of Folsom State Prison would be fictionalized for this film, as they were previously for Edward James Olmos’ American Me. Within Folsom State Prison in California, violence peaked in the 1970s and 1980s as prison gangs survived in a subculture motivated by racism and control.

    Hackford opens the film with familiar territory as Miklo (Damian Chapa), a half Chicano, has arrived from Las Vegas in search of home and family. Miklo is reunited with his cousins, Cruz (Jesse Borrego) and Paco (Benjamin Bratt), two half brothers. Despite their differences they all share the blood and allegiance of Vatos Locos, a street gang united by their ethnicity but also permeated with territorial violence and crime. Promptly after a vicious confrontation with a rival gang, the three brothers would be separated and destined to live three different existences, in which their paths would cross and their allegiance to each other would be questioned.

    The epic film spanning over two decades is engaging as the three brothers take hold of their destinies; Miklo would have to survive in a corrupted prison, Cruz would live out his dream as an artist yet be plagued by his demons and Paco would return to his hometown as a resolute officer in the vice squad.

    The melodramatic film stars a vast cast, many in minor roles such as Billy Bob Thornton, Ving Rhames, Delroy Lindo and Danny Trejo. Taylor Hackford handles the material well as the film is visceral despite the restrictive settings. At almost three hours, Hackford is able to depict many themes throughout the plot but ultimately Blood In Blood Out is about a family torn apart by tragedy, ethnic identity and nobility.

Video

    The video quality is decent but not without flaws.

    The original aspect ratio is 1.66:1; on this DVD the film is presented in a full frame 1.33:1 ratio (and is not 16x9 enhanced). As per site policy, a star has been deducted from the Overall Video rating because of this.

    The picture is noticeably soft with grain and film artefacts, which are perceptible especially at 5:39.

    The colour is bright and flesh tones are fairly well produced.

    There are four subtitle tracks including English, French, Italian and Spanish. The subtitles are clear and true to the onscreen dialogue.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Most scenes are underscored in this film and the Dolby Digital 5.1 track is clear and subtle.

    There are no major defects with the sound quality as dialogue is clear and there are no apparent issues with audio synchronisation.

    As mentioned the score is immensely important to the onscreen drama. Bill Conti’s score is increasingly overstated but it heightens the mood. The score is mixed with classic songs from artists from a variety of genres including Chelo Silva, Santana, The Isley Brothers, James Brown, Al Green, Jimi Hendrix and Los Guitarrones who perform the main theme.

    There is good channel separation as the English 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack makes subtle and restrained use of the surround sound and subwoofer. Other 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtracks include French, Italian and Spanish.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    The main menu is static and practical.

Featurette - Making Of

    The only available extra is a making of feature at a length of 9:03. This extra feature has interviews with Taylor Hackford and screenwriter/poet Jimmy Santiago Baca. Both discuss their involvement in the project as well as filming in real environments including that of a prison and using prisoners as extras.

    The Region 1 Director's Cut includes an extra ten minutes of footage, although it is presented in a non 16x9 enhanced 1.66:1 ratio. The only soundtrack included is English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround. The Region 1 disc includes the same extra feature as the Region 4 disc but also includes a trailer for The Enforcer.

    I would favour the Region 1 version.

    Blood In Blood Out is an epic tale of three brothers in search of identity and allegiance.

    The DVD is average with minimal extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall