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Walk Proud

Play trailer Poster for Walk Proud PG Released Jun 15, 1979 1h 38m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 1 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Young Emilio Mendez (Robby Benson) runs with the Aztecas, a street gang in Los Angeles that gets into more than its fair share of violent, brutal run-ins with rivals. He observes the politics that come with having turf to control and defend, including making and dissolving treaties with other gangs so they can pass through neighborhoods unharmed. Having seen enough of the consequences that accompany street life, and after befriending Sarah (Sarah Holcomb), Emilio starts looking for a way out.
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Walk Proud

Critics Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It's a rarely seen film since it met with protests by the Latino community who were fed up with Hollywood depicting their youth as gangbangers. Rated: C+ Aug 6, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Looking at this strictly from an entertainment standpoint, I enjoyed it. The violence was a bit hard for me to watch- it's never nice to see people hurting eachother- but I think the plot was great and the acting was well done. It also sends out a good message- that you are in control of your life and the choice is yours to make on how to run your life. It shows that young people who may be in gangs or bad situations can walk away from it and still be a strong person with things to be proud of. On the other hand, this movie came out at a bad time. It was amoung a string of films all released in a general time frame that focused on images of youth-gangs. Many people protested against films like this, and unfortunately, violent acts resulted at some screenings for films like these. As well, it was a bit disheartening that the main character, played by Robby Benson, was a painted up image of a Latin-American- provided with a fake tan and dark contacts for the role. However, despite all critisims, in my opinion- Robby Benson and the rest of the cast played their parts well and this film was gripping and interesting to watch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member I really liked this movie!! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent movie. Benson plays a young man who is in the Aztecas a Hispanic street gang. He falls in love with a young girl from the "other side of the tracks". An excellent story about how love crosses all barriers and how just because you come from "bad" roots, doesn't mean you can't become a worthwille person. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Great story with Robby Benson Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Love this Movie!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Walk Proud

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Walk Proud

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Movie Info

Synopsis Young Emilio Mendez (Robby Benson) runs with the Aztecas, a street gang in Los Angeles that gets into more than its fair share of violent, brutal run-ins with rivals. He observes the politics that come with having turf to control and defend, including making and dissolving treaties with other gangs so they can pass through neighborhoods unharmed. Having seen enough of the consequences that accompany street life, and after befriending Sarah (Sarah Holcomb), Emilio starts looking for a way out.
Director
Robert Collins
Producer
Lawrence Turman
Screenwriter
Evan Hunter
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 15, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 7, 2015
Runtime
1h 38m
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