American Me

American Me is a 1992 film about a Mexican-American Mafia kingpin who is released from prison, falls in love for the first time, and grows introspective about his gangster lifestyle.
 * Directed by Edward James Olmos. Written by Floyd Mutrux and Desmond Nakano.

'''In prison they are the law. On the streets they are the power. '''

Montoya Santana

 * The state is so lame, they paid for the game.

Dialogue

 * Montoya Santana: I hear Little Puppet's name is on a piece of paper, ese.
 * J.D.: I want you to cosign it.
 * Montoya Santana: I'm taking it off, ese.
 * J.D.: That punk got you kicked back in the hole, set us all back. Now he's running around talking loud shit about how he wants out of La Eme. His number's up, homes.
 * Montoya Santana: I said I'm taking it off, ese.
 * J.D.: What's gonna happen is gonna happen. Don't try to stop it. You understand me? I'm asking you, carnal.
 * Montoya Santana: Is that where it's gotten to, ese?
 * J.D.: Brothers are talking about you.
 * Montoya Santana: What are they saying, ese?
 * J.D.: They're saying that you're not showing them anything.
 * Montoya Santana: You know, a long time ago, two best homeboys, two kids, were thrown into juvie. They were scared, and they thought they had to do something to prove themselves. And they did what they had to do. They thought they were doing it to gain respect for their people, to show the world that no one could take their class from them. No one had to take it from us, ese. Whatever we had... we gave it away. Take care of yourself, carnal.


 * Montoya Santana: I'm sorry to hear about Neto.
 * Yolanda: I don't know what to say to you.
 * Montoya Santana: Whatever, you know.
 * Yolanda: You're like two people. One is like a kid. Doesn't know how to dance, doesn't know how to make love. That's the one I cared about. But the other one, the other one I hate. The one who knows, the one who has this wrapdown, who knows how to run drugs, who kills people!
 * Montoya Santana: I don't have to listen to this shit, alright? If you were a man, I'd...
 * Yolanda: You'd kill me! Oh no. No, you'd fuck me in the ass, right? Right?
 * Montoya Santana: I guess we got nothing to say to each other.
 * Yolanda: You know when I met you, I was impressed. Yeah, you talked about La Raza and education and the revolution, but you know what man? You really don't care about any revolution, do you? You're nothing but a fucking dope dealer.
 * Montoya Santana: Just a road to where we're going, esa.
 * Yolanda: Bullshit.
 * Montoya Santana: Sabes que? I don't do drugs, I don't even like them, but they're there, and it's a reality. And if I don't take care of that business, somebody else will.
 * Yolanda: Yeah, well, your business kills kids, man! It kills kids! Like Neto and Pablito and, and Miko, my son, who look up to you! Man, they idolize the ground you walk on!
 * Montoya Santana: What the fuck do you want from me? Do you want me to start over, esa? Get a job? How about become a citizen?
 * Yolanda: There's no fucking hope... for our kids, for our barrios... with people like you around.


 * Montoya Santana: Whatever I did to you or to mama... to make you hate me, I'm sorry.
 * Pedro Santana: Your mother was a beautiful woman. She made me feel proud. She was 19 years old. Raped... by sailors. After it happened, we never talked about it. Then we got married and we tried to forget. When you were born, I tried to love you. But every time I looked at you, I wondered who your real father was. I wondered which sailor's blood you carried inside of you.


 * Montoya Santana: You want to know something? I never been to the beach before.
 * Yolanda: For reals?
 * Montoya Santana: Yeah, for reals.

Cast

 * Edward James Olmos - Montoya Santana
 * William Forsythe - J.D.
 * Pepe Serna - Mundo
 * Sal Lopez - Pedro Santana
 * Dyana Ortelli - Yolanda
 * Vira Montes - Esperanza Santana
 * Danny De La Paz - Puppet
 * Daniel Villarreal - Little Puppet
 * Jacob Vargas - Paulito
 * Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa - El Japo