Line #18 Film/BloodInBloodOut


1	[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blood_in_blood_out_1993.jpeg]]
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3	''Blood In Blood Out'' (also known as ''Bound by Honor'' and ''Blood In Blood Out: Bound by Honor'') is a 1993 American epic crime drama film directed by Creator/TaylorHackford.
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5	Half-Chicano Miklo Velka (Creator/DamianChapa) returns to East Los Angeles and reunites with his cousins Paco Aguilar (Creator/BenjaminBratt) and Cruz Candelaria (Creator/JesseBorrego). Both are members of Vatos Locos, and after proving his worth, Miklo is inducted into the gang.
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7	However, through a tragic set of events, their lives splinter off in different directions.
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9	----
10	!! The Film Has The Following Tropes:
11	* AFatherToHisMen: We see this in Bonafide and Montana. Later, Miklo takes the spot.
12	* ActorAllusion: Benjamin Bratt could be considered as the [=LAPD=] version of [[Series/LawAndOrder Rey Curtis]].
13	* AnArmAndALeg: Miklo loses the latter thanks to Paco.
14	* TheBadGuyWins: With the Aryan Vanguard and the Black Guerilla Army wiped out, La Onda has free reign in San Quentin.
15	* BadgesAndDogTags: Ex-Marine Paco works in the L.A.P.D.'s Narcotics Division.
16	* BaldOfEvil: Red Ryder, the boss of the Aryan Vanguard.
17	* BestServedCold: The Aryan Vanguard humiliate Miklo by forcibly removing his leg prosthetic and then throwing it a long distance like a football, forcing him to crawl to it on all fours. [[spoiler:He patiently waits until the Mexican Day of the Dead to wipe out both the AV and the B.G.A. He can be seen lying in his prison bed with an oh so satisfied smile on his face even as he knows the murders are going down in the rest of the prison.]]
18	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The B.G.A. and Aryan Vanguard are wiped out and La Onda takes over the prison with Miklo as its new leader and despite the council being separated to different prisons in the aftermath, it gives them the opportunity to expand their influence. However, Montana is dead due to Miklo and Magic setting him up, and an enraged Paco disowns Miklo for using him to take out their rivals. On the plus side, Cruz reconciles with his family and becomes sober and thanks to a pep talk from Cruz, Paco finally comes to terms that he is responsible for the events leading to Miklo being imprisoned and Cruz getting injured.]]
19	* ButNotTooForeign: Miklo Velka is half-White and half-Chicano. Damian Chapa (Miklo Velka) himself is part-Mexican.
20	* ChekhovsGun: Bonafide's comb. [[spoiler: Miklo and Magic make a false copy and send it to a B.G.A. hitman with orders to assassinate Montana]].
21	* TheChessmaster: Miklo would make both [[Series/GameOfThrones Littlefinger]] and [[Series/{{Oz}} Ryan O'Reilly]] proud. Both he and Magic frame the B.G.A. for Montana's murder with a copy of Bonafide's comb. At Paco's behest, Miklo and Bonafide agree to a truce, the B.G.A. joining forces with La Onda against the Aryan Vanguard. Once the Aryan Vanguard were decimated, La Onda took out the B.G.A.
22	* CycleOfRevenge: This film is chock full of this.
23	* TheDragon: Miklo is this to Montana. After Montana's death, Magic takes this spot.
24	* FromNobodyToNightmare: Miklo went from a wannabe cholo with no renown to being a soldier in La Onda to a member of its ruling council, to leading Onda alongside Magic.
25	* GratuitousForeignLanguage: It ''does'' take place in East Los Angeles, after all.
26	* HandicappedBadass: Miklo, after losing a leg in a botched robbery.
27	* IHaveNoSon:
28	** Cruz is disowned by his family after Juanito's death. They reconcile some years later.
29	** In a show of cousin disowning their cousin, Miklo disowns Paco after the failed robbery. In turn, Paco severs all ties with Miklo following the purge of La Onda's rivals.
30	* IDidWhatIHadToDo:
31	** Miklo and Magic's reasoning as to why they [[spoiler:betrayed Montana]].
32	-->'''Miklo:''' I loved him.
33	-->'''Magic:''' We both loved him. But we did what we had to do. For Onda!
34	** Again, Miklo when he tries to explain to a furious Paco as to why he used him to take out Ryder and Bonafide's gangs.
35	-->'''Paco:''' You used me. I tried to save your life, and you used me to set up the BGA.
36	-->'''Miklo:''' I did what I had to for my brothers to survive.
37	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Par the course when [[SinisterShiv prison shanks]] are involved.
38	* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: Miklo pretends to begin blowing Big Al, and shanks him while his guard is down and then make out with the gambling book.
39	* ItHasOnlyJustBegun: When the warden splits up La Onda's leadership following the purge of the Aryan Vanguard and the B.G.A., Miklo claims that this is only making Onda grow.
40	-->'''Miklo:''' We're gonna spread La Onda gospel Billy Graham-style!
41	* ItsAllMyFault: Paco blames himself for sending Miklo after Spider and Cruz's injured back. [[EasilyForgiven For Cruz, it's water under the bridge]].
42	* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Bonafide digs his fingers underneath a subordinate's ribs to get to the bottom of Montana's murder. The prison officials let it happen, even as the subordinate is screaming in agony, because they also want to find out who's behind Montana's death.
43	* JustTheFirstCitizen: Montana is the leader of La Onda but he calls himself simply "The Elected Spokesman". While the seven that make up the council all have an equal vote the majority of them have too much respect for Montana to publicly go against him.
44	* KillItWithFire: How Red Ryder meets his end.
45	* UsefulNotes/LosAngeles: East Los Angeles, where most of the film takes place.
46	* PrisonRape: Popeye attempts this on Miklo, but is thwarted by his Onda associates.
47	* ScaryBlackMan: The BGA are obviously this. Their leader, Bonafide, exemplifies the trope to a level far beyond his subordinates. It's helped that he's played by a 6'5" Creator/DelroyLindo sporting an Afro.
48	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Miklo ditches Las Vegas (and his racist father) for East Los Angeles.
49	* ThoseWackyNazis: Neo-Nazis, to be precise, in the form of the Aryan Vanguard.
50	* ThreatBackfire: After Miklo kills Big Al, Bob the prison guard confronts Miklo regarding Al's cash and gambling book:
51	-->'''Bob:''' If I don't get that damn book and money back, you're not gonna walk off this cell block alive! Do you understand what I'm saying?
52	-->'''Miklo:''' Your name's in that book, Bob. If I don't stay real healthy, the warden's gonna find it in his suggestion box.
53	* TradingBarsForStripes: Paco is given the choice of prison or joining [[SemperFi the Corps]]. Wisely, Paco chooses the latter.
54	* UnwittingPawn:
55	** Paco is ''irate'' when he discovers how his incarcerated cousin used him to take out Ryder and Bonafide.
56	** Miklo and Magic outplayed Paco, the Aryan Vanguard, the Black Guerilla Army, the prison staff, and ''even the members of La Onda's inner circle'' in order to rule San Quentin.
57	* WeCanRuleTogether: Miklo offers this to Paco. Paco refuses.
58	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The film was so long that both theatrical and extended cuts suffer from many loose ends.
59	** Miklo’s mother goes AWOL after Juanito’s funeral.
60	** Chuy disappears completely after getting kicked out of Cruz’s studio by Paco.
61	** Popeye vanishes into thin air after tipping off Miklo’s heist to the police. Even the deleted scene in which Popeye attempts to kills Smokey leaves his fate ambiguous.
62	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness:
63	** Miklo correctly predicts that once Cheap Times (the B.G.A. drug house) is destroyed by Smokey (Carlos' brother) on the Aryan Vanguard's orders, the A.V. would lift their protection from Carlos, allowing the B.G.A. to retaliate by killing Carlos.
64	** Once the A.V. is decimated, La Onda turns on the B.G.A.
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Context Film / BloodInBloodOut