Down for the Barrio (1996) User Reviews

Horrible

[Lindajil · 1/10 · 6 September 2021]

I watched this movie because I am originally from El Paso where this was filmed. Besides seeing lots of El Paso landmarks, this was a terrible movie! Horrible acting and terrible film quality. I like what the story was trying to convey, but not even that could save this film!

I've learned my lesson

[JoelDavid · 1/10 · 10 August 2003]

I'll never rent another Cesar Alejandro movie again. This was terrible, more so because it could have been passable if it had been written, directed or performed by someone else. Basically the idea alone might have been worthwhile in the hands of someone even semi-competent. Cesar Alejandro is laughably bad.

I thought this movie was a joke at first. It's like something they might have picked to do for MST3K. My friends saw it on the big screen and said it was hilarious. The audience was laughing and yelling at the screen. I wish now I had seen it in the theater so I could have laughed out loud with everybody else and not felt I'd wasted my money, having at least gotten a chuckle out of it. Run, don't walk, away from this one.

What a shame

[JoelDavid · 1/10 · 21 April 2002]

I have seen a number of Cesar Alejandro's films and this, his first 35mm, is typical of how bad they are. It's a bunch of people spending a lot of time and effort that would be better used...doing anything else. They always look and sound as if they've been chopped together on the fly with a porn music sound track. If you were trying to make a bad movie you couldn't do this well. Forced situations, stilted dialogue, poor acting, atrocious scripts. He always stars, directs and writes and it shows. This one was particularly insulting to Hispanics. The only saving grace is occasionally you get an interesting camera shot. Mario Becerra probably has to fight tooth and nail to get it in there. By the time this one was over I had a stomachache. Do NOT rent it and don't bother with any Peliculas Alexandria movies. Trust me.

One of the worst movies I've ever seen!

[Kruger · 1/10 · 13 August 1999]

Save your money and don't rent this one folks. The acting is shameful and the script is one of the most poorly devised I've ever seen. The premise behind the movie about gangs and the Hispanic culture sounded semi-promising, but the emphasis on the barrio accents is just too much to sit through (the dialog is amateurish and clumsy).

What!!!!

[blutojenkins · 10/10 · 28 April 2005]

This movie spoke to me. I don't know about everybody else but, this is a harrowing tale of life on the street directed towards kids. And it is done masterfully, and no other film has even tried. With violence and realism, mixed with slapstick and melodrama, the movie strikes not one, but various chords. Of course the film has various stereotypes and muddled moments, but no film is perfect. And as people we have to relate to characters we know. This kids are pretty good actor, I liked Spanky, he had a subtle way of acting, a maturity not common to these types of film. Franky was a Darth Vader character, I mean a scenery-chewing monster you feel for. I liked it as a whole, and would rather not nit-pick on the little or even obvious flaws any film can have. Very good.

A good heartfelt Indie film

[binationalindiefilmfest · 8/10 · 30 August 2012]

I was browsing my Netflix when I stumbled upon this film, I rented it out of curiosity and found myself very immersed in a film about real people. Now a days with all the Hollywood films about giant robots and super heroes, a film about real people who experience things that I have experienced really made my night. It is a strong film with a strong message, some great writing and some great acting, it is something that you will enjoy if you watch it. A film that really speaks volumes in communities that have a serious gang problem and where young children and teenagers see the worst of it is something that should be watched. I really can't speak for the very angry people I've seen on here but I really feel it is a film worth watching.

Missed opportunity

[elpasoguy · 1 January 2013]

I saw this because I like to see all things El Paso. I was pretty disappointed. There was such a great opportunity to explore barrio culture and it fell on cheesy clichés. The production was good with very nice picture and sound. A lot of great locations can be seen in this film. There are some great creative shots in the movie but that isn't enough. Tony Plana does his best with what poor script he is given. Some of the other supporting actors were good, but some were down right awful. Its not as bad as some say, but it isn't outstanding either. See it for what it is: an El Paso film. Otherwise don't expect Orson Welles.