This movie is an either or deal, you like it or you don't.Most people will agree that this movie is clichéd, but one when this situations stop happening over and over then people will stop making movies about them. I have to admit that even though the characters are stereotypes Jacob Vargas did a good job portraying the emotional parts. The director did a very nice job, taking in consideration that this is his first time directing a "real" film, and of course, keeping in mind the $250,000 budget they counted on.As for as independent films go this one really got to me because it accurately depicts a big part of the harshness I saw everyday when I lived in the barrio.Overall this is not the best barrio movie, but if you have the chance to see it don't hesitate, you might find more than you expected.

This is similar to a lot of the other movies out there, yet i still found it enjoyable. Its about 3 young men dealing with their lives in the ghetto. One a sex-craving addict deals with relationships when he meets a certain female character. The other, a wise talking kid who falls into the wrong hands when he starts doing drug deals. Then the main character who tries to make a decent living, in a dump of a neighborhood. The movie had all around good scenes, and some very good words of wisdom. Although, i feel the ending was similar to a lot of the "gangster" type movies. Other than that, i felt it was a good movie to watch on a Friday night when you have nothing better to do. I gave it an 8/10.

The list of problems I had with this film is long, and I agree with many of the comments I've read and heard about the film, that it's unoriginal and a knock-off of Boyz in the Hood, but you know what? Who cares? This film is actually pretty good and has a strong sense of humor to counterbalance it's more serious side. After a half an hour of snickering at some awkward scenes, I gradually began to get hooked, and by the time the powerful climax arrived, the director and the actors had won me over. Sure, the film isn't perfect and some scenes don't work, but rarely do Latinos get 30 million dollars to make their personal films, if given the chance to make films at all. Despite what some people have written about this film, the cinematography is excellent, and so are some of the actors like Jacob Vargas, and the guy who played Gramps is terrifying. The director did a great job with the few resources he had and his heart and passion are evident in every frame. One thing that bothers me, particularly from fellow Latinos, is that they're always ready to knock a film like this by calling it negative, or calling it "typical" or saying things like "not all latinos grew up in the hood". Fine. Make your own movie! If you don't like hood movies don't watch them, but don't knock a filmmaker for making a movie about something he cares about, just like I wouldn't knock Scorcese for making another "gangster picture", or the coen Brothers for making another "film noir" picture. Film is film, and if it's well done I'm ready to give it a shot, regardless of the subject matter.

Bad directing. Bad acting. Bad writing. Bad editing. Bad sound. I felt nothing for any of these characters and could care less. This film is a "Boyz in the Hood" wanna be, but never achieved the heart and strength for any of the characters and stories. Much less the cinematic achievement, with the typical Latino stories that have been told and told again. Not all Latinos grew up in the 'hood'. Characters such as Torneo and Abuelito should just have been edited out completely. And obviously, with the character of Alfonso, not much casting choices were seen for this actor. The only thing that made me cry in this film was the waste of time I spent watching it.