This movie follows the struggles of two Mexican-American brothers in L.A.'s Barrio. The younger one is Jose, played by up-and-coming latino heart throb Max Decker. Gerardo, his older brother, is played by bruiser Gary Cruz. Jose is a straight arrow who works in a law office while Gerardo has just been released from prison. Though Jose tries to set his older, wilder brother back on a path of work and family, the life of a "vato" (thug) pulls him the other way.
Jose gets Gerardo a job in his office's mail room, but Gerardo, whose former life as a street enforcer, is more accustomed to using his muscles than his mind and is soon bored. Enter Spider, a rival vato from his past and, in an ill advised move, Gerardo is soon involved delivering coke to Vargas, a tattooed bodybuilder who works with Spider. At the delivery, the testosterone level quickly rises with Vargas and Gerardo -- both of them powerfully built latinos -- flexing and trying to intimidate each other. The money and the drugs are too tempting and it's only a matter of time before one of the vatos makes his move. Guns are drawn and its Gerardo that offs the big muscleman with a clean shot to the head.
On the run now, Gerardo's only escape is to his former girlfriend Luchana's house. Luchana, played by hot latina beauty Ana Palma, at first wants nothing to do with him. But in a slow and steamy seduction, Gerardo wins her over and soon they are naked in her bed making passionate love. Meanwhile Spider, finding Vargas's dead body and the drugs and money missing, vows to make Gerardo and his brother pay. With his sidekick Shorty, the two vatos, dressed in black wifebeaters and shades, try to snuff Gerardo and Jose in a classic drive by shooting but only succeed in killing the brothers' innocent father.
The killing has a unanticipated effect on Jose, whose anger transforms him from an clean cut young striver to a revenge obsessed warrior. Though he holds Gerardo partly responsible for their father's death, he now wants his older brother to help transform him into a vato so he can help slay Spider. Calling on some street muscle to help, Gerardo initiates him the only way he knows how -- by administering a savage beating to his younger brother. It's hard to watch as the bigger, tougher vatos kick and punch the innocent boy till he is barely conscious, with Gerardo trying to deal him the most pain. With his body and handsome face bloodied and bruised, Jose staggers to Luchana's. Shocked that his own brother could punish him so brutally, she undresses him and, tenderly touching and caressing his ripped young body, slowly begins to make love to him. Though Jose knows that this is his brother's girlfriend, he cannot help responding and, his morals slipping away after the beating, gives her what she wants. In a telling moment, as he climaxes, we hear Luchana whisper in his ear "mi vato." His transformation is complete.
When Spider kidnaps Luchana, Gerardo and Jose prepare for their final confrontation. In a gun battle, wherein Spider is killed, Gerardo bravely sacrifices himself to give Jose time to free Luchana. Jose, looking pumped up in a wifebeater, with gang tattoos and gun in hand, stalks Shorty in a slow cat-and-mouse scene. He finds and disarms him and, though Shorty begs for his life, Jose -- now every inch a vato -- executes him in cold blood. Luchana is rescued and the movie should end here, but it doesn't.
The final scenes show Jose in the future. Dressed in a suit and the head of his own law firm, we think that he has turned his life around once again -- that is, until we see him on the phone arranging for a huge drug shipment. The movie is saying you don't have to wear a wifebeater and carry a gun to be a vato. This bit of irony at the end helps to make this movie a cut above the usual crime story outing. Add that to the star performances by Cruz, who is all muscle and physical force, and Decker, who brings smoldering sexuality and Hollywood good looks to his role, give us two latino studs to watch for in upcoming films.
Jose gets Gerardo a job in his office's mail room, but Gerardo, whose former life as a street enforcer, is more accustomed to using his muscles than his mind and is soon bored. Enter Spider, a rival vato from his past and, in an ill advised move, Gerardo is soon involved delivering coke to Vargas, a tattooed bodybuilder who works with Spider. At the delivery, the testosterone level quickly rises with Vargas and Gerardo -- both of them powerfully built latinos -- flexing and trying to intimidate each other. The money and the drugs are too tempting and it's only a matter of time before one of the vatos makes his move. Guns are drawn and its Gerardo that offs the big muscleman with a clean shot to the head.
On the run now, Gerardo's only escape is to his former girlfriend Luchana's house. Luchana, played by hot latina beauty Ana Palma, at first wants nothing to do with him. But in a slow and steamy seduction, Gerardo wins her over and soon they are naked in her bed making passionate love. Meanwhile Spider, finding Vargas's dead body and the drugs and money missing, vows to make Gerardo and his brother pay. With his sidekick Shorty, the two vatos, dressed in black wifebeaters and shades, try to snuff Gerardo and Jose in a classic drive by shooting but only succeed in killing the brothers' innocent father.
The killing has a unanticipated effect on Jose, whose anger transforms him from an clean cut young striver to a revenge obsessed warrior. Though he holds Gerardo partly responsible for their father's death, he now wants his older brother to help transform him into a vato so he can help slay Spider. Calling on some street muscle to help, Gerardo initiates him the only way he knows how -- by administering a savage beating to his younger brother. It's hard to watch as the bigger, tougher vatos kick and punch the innocent boy till he is barely conscious, with Gerardo trying to deal him the most pain. With his body and handsome face bloodied and bruised, Jose staggers to Luchana's. Shocked that his own brother could punish him so brutally, she undresses him and, tenderly touching and caressing his ripped young body, slowly begins to make love to him. Though Jose knows that this is his brother's girlfriend, he cannot help responding and, his morals slipping away after the beating, gives her what she wants. In a telling moment, as he climaxes, we hear Luchana whisper in his ear "mi vato." His transformation is complete.
When Spider kidnaps Luchana, Gerardo and Jose prepare for their final confrontation. In a gun battle, wherein Spider is killed, Gerardo bravely sacrifices himself to give Jose time to free Luchana. Jose, looking pumped up in a wifebeater, with gang tattoos and gun in hand, stalks Shorty in a slow cat-and-mouse scene. He finds and disarms him and, though Shorty begs for his life, Jose -- now every inch a vato -- executes him in cold blood. Luchana is rescued and the movie should end here, but it doesn't.
The final scenes show Jose in the future. Dressed in a suit and the head of his own law firm, we think that he has turned his life around once again -- that is, until we see him on the phone arranging for a huge drug shipment. The movie is saying you don't have to wear a wifebeater and carry a gun to be a vato. This bit of irony at the end helps to make this movie a cut above the usual crime story outing. Add that to the star performances by Cruz, who is all muscle and physical force, and Decker, who brings smoldering sexuality and Hollywood good looks to his role, give us two latino studs to watch for in upcoming films.
