‘Blood In Blood Out’ 30th anniversary screening draws thousands to East LA, celebrating Chicano culture (2024)

The 1993 film “Blood In Blood Out,” considered by many Latino audiences a cult classic, showcases elements of Chicano culture and distinct L.A. identity — both the good and bad of life in the barrio. Multigenerational fans of the film call it an authentic portrayal of East L.A., Chicano identity and street gang life.

Over 2,000 flocked to a rainy 30th-anniversary screening and book release event last Saturday, Jan. 20, at Cal State L.A. As actors and showrunners shared memories of making the film, the event was a celebration of Los Angeles and Chicano representation.

“Blood In Blood Out” is a crime drama produced by Hollywood Pictures, which was a production label of The Walt Disney Studios. The story follows three Chicano relatives, members of an East L.A. street gang, whose lives all take different paths, navigating racial tensions, gang violence, identity struggles, family dynamics and prison politics.

Oscar-winning director Taylor Hackford said in an interview that he admires and respects Latino culture, and wanted to talk about tough subjects. Hackford said he “made this film for the Latino audience… They have made it a kind of cult classic. It’s incredible.”

“But at the same time, I wanted to have people walk out of the movie theater saying, life is worth living,” Hackford said. “You know, life is not a bowl of cherries. When you grow up in a working-class situation it’s tough, and it’s tougher when you are growing up in a culture that’s been subjugated.”

The story spans statewide, with filming sites from East L.A. to the San Quentin State Prison in Marin County. Spots like St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Los Cinco Puntos taqueria, and the Evergreen Cemetery — all in Boyle Heights — are just some of the locations seen in the film.

“I wouldn’t have done it anyplace else,” Hackford said. “This film is about East Los. If we’re going to be commemorative, it’s happening in East Los, and thank God (that) Cal State LA embraced it.”

Hackford said that “Blood In Blood Out” had a limited initial theatrical release, and 30 years later in 2024 — despite its diverse fanbase — the movie is still not available for streaming anywhere. Its name was also watered down, with the title changed to “Bound by Honor” right before its release, according to Hackford.

Hackford and other actors, showrunners in the film said it felt as if the studio was “trying to bury the movie” at the time. Still, it found a primarily Chicano and Latinx audience after it went to VHS, and more recently being shown to younger generations.

The limited-edition book 30th-anniversary book, of the same title, was also launched at the screening, including archive photos, directors’ notes, and 15 new and original poems from screenwriter Jimmy Santiago Baca, whose life the movie is loosely based on.

“Blood In Blood Out” was co-written by Hackford, photographer Merrick Morton, the late Chicano artist Adan Hernandez, and Baca. It chronicles all four authors’ “deeply personal” journeys making the beloved film.

Baca said he is excited his family will be able to have a tangible piece of his legacy.

Reality, problems reflected

In 1970s and 80s, youth gangs in East L.A. fought over territory, leading to over-policing, over-incarceration and negative relationships between Latinx community members and police. Though incarceration disparities have fallen over the last decade between Latinx and white youth, as of 2021, the former are still 16% more likely to be incarcerated than their white peers.

Portraying those distinctions authentically was important to the producers and actors. The movie stars Damian Chapala, Jesse Borrego and Benjamin Bratt, playing the cousins, and includes other known actors like Danny Trejo and Billy Bob Thornton.

L.A.’s own Trejo, who plays the supporting role of Geronimo in the movie, thought the film held up a mirror to gangs at the time of release. Before his acting career took off, Trejo was involved with crime and had served time at the San Quentin State Prison. He said that while filming, he went into the same jail cell he was held in just years before — a full circle moment.

“The whole movie was unbelievable. It came out right at the time when Los Angeles was going crazy with gangs and everything,” Trejo, 79, said. “It was heart-wrenching to go back there and be in one of the cells that I was in… I was afraid to go to sleep, wake up and actually still be in there. Some of the stuff was so real; stuff I’ve actually experienced.”

Movie fans, like Tustin resident Edward Oropeza, shared personal experiences they saw reflected in “Blood In Blood Out.”

Oropeza first watched the movie with his older cousins as a child. He said that some aspects of the film, such as drug trafficking and street gang activity, resembled some of his experiences growing up in Fullerton, in Orange County. Oropezaalso said the film was accurate with how active gangs can get if tensions are stoked by another gang.

“Orange County, and the city of Fullerton, is seen as a rich area — but growing up, I saw multiple gangs,” Oropeza, 25, said. “I resonate with how the movie describes living in the streets and seeing gang activity often.”

Ontario resident and Cal State L.A. alumna Veronica Vasquez attended the screening with her younger sister, Ivette. She said their older brother introduced the two to the film.

“Our brother is no longer with us, so it’s a movie that we watch to feel closer to him,” Veronica, 29, said. “It was one of his favorite movies.”