Movie

Bound by Honor

1993 · 190 min

A sprawling, tragic saga that immerses you in its world, heavy with consequence and raw emotion.

Tagline: An epic story of three brothers. Bound by blood. Divided by fate. Driven by destiny.
Overview: Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives. Miklo is incarcerated and sent to San Quentin, where he makes a "home" for himself. Cruz becomes an exceptional artist, but a heroin addiction overcomes him with tragic results. Paco becomes a cop and an enemy to his "carnal", Miklo.

Search YouTube for the trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: darkstrength 3 of 3
bleakstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: betrayal
loyalty
family
identity
violence
Places: big city
prison
Era: period
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
ensemble
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language strong
Violence strong
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	6
Horror	3
Humour	2
Realism	8
Romance	2
Tension	7
Darkness	8
Complexity	7
Emotional weight	9

Titles like Bound by Honor

Movie

The Godfather

1972

A slow, shadowy immersion into a family's moral corrosion, where every quiet conversation carries the weight of impending violence.

Dark, melancholic, slow-burn · about betrayal and loyalty · nonlinear

Via: dark
melancholic
betrayal
loyalty
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 175 min

Details In your watch list

The GodfatherHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

American Me

1992

A grim, sprawling chronicle of gang life that weighs heavily, offering little light and a slow, tragic inevitability.

Same writer: Floyd Mutrux · Dark, bleak, slow-burn · about betrayal and family · nonlinear

Also: Same writer: Floyd Mutrux
Via: dark
bleak
betrayal
family
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 125 min

Details In your watch list

American MeHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Carlito's Way

1993

A stylish, brooding crime saga that tightens like a vise, blending doomed romance with explosive set pieces and a haunting sense of inevitability.

Dark, melancholic · about betrayal and loyalty · nonlinear

Via: dark
melancholic
betrayal
loyalty
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 144 min

Details In your watch list

Carlito's WayHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Shot Caller

2017

A grim, tense descent into prison survival that weighs heavily, with moments of brutal violence and a lingering sadness.

Dark, bleak · about betrayal and family · nonlinear

Via: dark
bleak
betrayal
family
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 121 min

Details In your watch list

Shot CallerHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Goodfellas

1990

A seductive, fast-paced rise-and-fall crime saga that immerses you in glamour and paranoia, with sharp dialogue and sudden violence.

Dark, tense · about betrayal and loyalty · nonlinear

Via: dark
tense
betrayal
loyalty
nonlinear
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 145 min

Details In your watch list

GoodfellasHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Donnie Brasco

1997

A slow, tense descent into loyalty and deception, where every friendship carries the weight of inevitable betrayal.

Dark, melancholic · about betrayal and loyalty

Via: dark
melancholic
betrayal
loyalty
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 127 min

Details In your watch list

Donnie BrascoHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Sleepers

1996

A heavy, somber drama that follows childhood trauma into adult revenge, asking for patience and emotional endurance.

Dark, bleak, slow-burn · about betrayal · nonlinear

Via: dark
bleak
betrayal
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 147 min

Details In your watch list

SleepersHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Better Call Saul

2015–2022

A slow, meticulous descent into moral compromise, watching a charming man gradually lose himself with quiet dread and deep sadness.

Dark, melancholic, slow-burn · about betrayal and identity · nonlinear

Via: dark
melancholic
betrayal
identity
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Seasons: 6

Details In your watch list

Better Call SaulHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

The Boy's Word: Blood on the Asphalt

2023

A raw, immersive plunge into gang life, blending brutal violence with moments of tenderness and a pervasive sense of doom.

Dark, bleak, slow-burn · about betrayal and loyalty

Via: dark
bleak
betrayal
loyalty
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 1

Details In your watch list

The Boy's Word: Blood on the AsphaltHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Bikeriders

2024

A slow-burning, melancholic look at brotherhood and violence, with a gritty, lived-in atmosphere and a sense of inevitable loss.

Dark, melancholic, slow-burn · about betrayal and loyalty · nonlinear

Via: dark
melancholic
betrayal
loyalty
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 116 min

Details In your watch list

The BikeridersHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Drive

2011

A stylish, brooding neo-noir that blends tender romance with shocking bursts of violence, demanding your full attention.

Dark, melancholic, slow-burn · about betrayal and violence · nonlinear

Via: dark
melancholic
betrayal
violence
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 100 min

Details In your watch list

DriveHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

A Prophet

2009

A slow, immersive descent into prison hierarchy, tense and morally complex, with moments of surreal haunting.

Dark, bleak, slow-burn · about betrayal and identity · nonlinear

Via: dark
bleak
betrayal
identity
nonlinear
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 155 min

Details In your watch list

A ProphetHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: crime, drama, thriller
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Written by: Jimmy Santiago Baca, Jeremy Iacone, Floyd Mutrux
Starring: Damian Chapa, Jesse Borrego, Benjamin Bratt, Enrique Castillo, Victor Rivers, Delroy Lindo, Tom Towles, Carlos Carrasco
Music: Bill Conti
Cinematography: Gabriel Beristain
Runtime: 190 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English, Spanish

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

Bound by Honor

How it feels

More like this

Titles like Bound by Honor

Where to watch in the UK

Details