Taylor HackfordÆs (1993) Bound by Honor provides a glimpse into the world of prison gangs and the often brutal reality and emotions that accompany such lives. Three Latino friends in Los Angeles in the 1970s become emotionally deadened by their experiences as they live out their destinies. Cruz is an artist but a serious accident cripples him and leads him into a life of isolation and despair as a drug addict. Paco is arrested as an accessory for murder. He must sign up for military duty to escape prison. Miklo, the shooter in the murder, is sent to prison but he slowly infiltrates himself into the prison gang known as La Onda. Loyalty, honor and family make for many emotions among the three Latinos. We see that hope is seldom a luxury Latinos can afford. As Milo explains, ôWhen you expect nothing and get everything, thatÆs destinyö (Hackford, 1993). We also see that women are often treated to the worst emotional abuse by men. One of the characters, Popeye, tells the girl he is with the following, ôHey Cinderella, go find yourself a fella, youÆre on the clock bitch and midnight is coming, you got the wrong manö (Hackford, 1993). We see from this movie that many of the negative emotions exhibited, from Montana wanting to kill to PopeyeÆs views of women, are the outcome of the abuse and suffering Latinos routinely face as a minority living in a dominant white society.

Hackford, T. (Director). Bound by Honor, (Film). Australia: 1993.

Demme, J. (Director). Beloved, (Film). USA: 1998.

Tennant, A. (Director