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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful restoration of an amazing cult film, May 18, 2010
"Mixed Blood" is like a time capsule, showcasing a New York that simply does not exist anymore. Alphabet City has never looked so grimy and dangerous, and so strangely beautiful as it does in this film. Marilla Pera from the astounding film "Pixote" is mesmerizing as the "den mother" to a gang of young drug-dealing, murdering thugs, all of them under age, as they can't be sent to jail if they are caught. Her and her dumb but sexy son Thiago are the ringleaders of a major cocaine/heroin business run out in the open, in front of corrupt cops and countless strung-out junkies. "Mixed Blood" also features a collection of the most beautiful and exotic Latino actors ever seen in one film. Recommended for fans of the film "Pixote," and other films about gangs and youth crime. and for those who spent time in NYC in the 80's to early 90's, this one will blow your mind! There is even a shootout in the Menudo store, "Menuditis!" And the little details of slum life that the director picks up on are amazing. Like the kids who sleep on the floor, with their pant legs tied up with rope to keep out the bedbugs! The dvd is widescreen and the print looks terrific, especially compared to that washed out print from the old VHS. Excellent, low budget film, and startlingly realistic, especially compared to over-stylized fluff like the film "Alphabet City" with Vincent Spano. "Mixed Blood" is the real thing, a ghetto version of "Scarface," only no one seems to get rich. On a side note, the film contains a surprisngly high level of violence, most of which looks very realistic, not to mention a very unflattering portrayal of foreigners making their living in New York, ( in other words, this one is quite politically incorrect!)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Important Work, August 15, 2011
Paul Morrissey managed to do what very few filmmakers ever have: to tell the story of fringe groups whose story has never been told WITHOUT oversimplifying or forcing the viewer to accept his own conclusions. Like Ellison's "Invisible Man" and Selby's "Last Exit to Brooklyn" it neither condemns nor excuses these fringe characters. It also reminds me a little of the brilliant Brazilian film "City of God." The setting here is alphabet city, the very meanest part of lower Manhattan in 1984. South American, Asian, Puerto Rican, German, all scheme to cut into each others' drug turf. The first hour is slightly awkward and amateurish, but the second hour more than makes up for it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic film noir, December 25, 2008
I don't know what film noir means, but I think this is one. Anyway, this movie is a classic. It is an art film. To me, it falls in the category of sort of super-realistic or naturalistic films with protagonists who are not really good people in any accepted meaning of the phrase, like Sam Peckinpah's films. It may not be as good as The Wild Bunch, but if you liked the Wild Bunch, you will like this movie, provided you can handle the hispanic, post-apocalyptic milieu. Another film that it is similar to is "Sucker Punch". These are not films for everybody, but on the other hand if you are a fan of this type of tongue-in-cheek, over the top realism, you shouldn't miss this one. I hope at least Paul Morrissey knows what a good film he made.
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