The producers of the film used the following tagline to market the film : '' In prison , they are the law . On the streets , they are the power . '' Roger Ebert of the '' Chicago Sun-Times '' liked the reality that came through in the film and that it rang true : " What I felt watching '' American Me , '' however , is that it is based on a true situation - on the reality that street gangs and prison , mixed with the drug sales that finance the process , work together to create a professional criminal class . " Janet Maslin writes in '' The New York Times , '' " But Mr. Olmos 's direction ... is dark , slow and solemn , so much so that it diverts energy from the film 's fundamental frankness . Violent as it is , '' American Me '' is seldom dramatic enough to bring its material to life . " Marjorie Baumgarten , a film critic for '' The Austin Chronicle , '' wrote , " '' American Me '' is crafted with heart and conviction and intelligence . It demands no less of its audience . It insists that there are no quick fixes , but that solutions are of the utmost urgency . " The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival
1992 Cannes Film Festival
1992 Cannes Film Festival
American Me