If you read the director bio here, you will see that Joseph Vasquez had a deep understanding of the world he portrays in this rough, gritty film about a violent gang war. In the early 90's the Bronx was still a desolate place. That landscape is captured perfectly in this intensely atmospheric movie that features some great location shooting. Vasquez does a fine job, casting himself in the lead role of Tito, owner of a seedy strip club in the South Bronx, who makes a living by selling crack to the locals in his run down neighborhood. He's no angel, but he does possess a code of honor among his friends, and he values family. And because of that quality, he doesn't object when the sister of his girlfriend asks to movie in with them, after winding up on the street. Tito should have realized that nobody ends up on the street without a reason, but he decides to trust her. and that begins a chain reaction that will destroy almost everyone in his circle. One of the finest things about this movie is how the characters are fleshed out; nobody is a one dimensional bad guy, and nobody seems to be a saint either. And that is what makes "Bronx War" so realistic. And when the leader of the rival black gang, Caesar, accuses his girl's sister of stealing 40k worth of heroin, all Hell breaks loose.
This is true "independent cinema," the kind of film they just don't make anymore. The almost non-existent budget actually works in the movie's favor, giving it an almost documentary feel. The largely amateur cast all turn in intensely dedicated and passionate performances. There are a few intentionally comic one liners, but other than that, things are played straight and serious throughout. The tension builds through increasingly violent encounters between the rival gangs, and in the last third it erupts in an all out street war that turns the South Bronx into the Wild West. The shootings and stabbings are realistic looking and bloody, but this isn't really an exploitation film. Sadly director Joseph Vasquez died at only 33 years old, after a short life that seemed to be as chaotic as the lives of the characters he created in his films. "Bronx War" is a rare title, but there is a dvd that is out of print. This is an unknown film that deserves to be rediscovered. It's also one of the few films out there about Puerto Rican gangs, so those interested in the subject matter should look for this movie. "Bronx War" would make a great double feature alongside "Mixed Blood," as they cover similar territory. Great old-school New York movie!
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Falconeer29 August 2019
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tvclassic10 February 2014The story is about an owner of a Bronx night club/stripper bar that is also the head of a Puerto Rican street gang that deals in drugs. He gets into hot water with a rival black gang when they accuse a woman he knows of stealing money from them.
The production value is low but the story and scenery has a certain grittiness to it. Also the acting might not be from well-known movie stars but I still found it enjoyable. You don't see too many movies with stories about Puerto Rican gangs from New York. Of course I realize this movie isn't for everyone, but for me it's a little hidden gem. -
FJ-Trescothik28 January 2024The Bronx War is a 1991 crime film written, directed by Joseph B. Vasquez who also stars in the film alongside Marlene Forte, and Gene Gabriel.
Tito Sunshine (Vasquez) lives in The Bronx with his girlfriend Maria (Frances Colon), he runs a strip club, and he is also a small time crack dealer in his neighborhood, working alongside his brother Tony (Fabio Urena), and a friend of theirs Raymond aka Crazy (Miguel Sierra), who sometimes complains about not being second in command to Tito.
Rachel (Charmaine Cruz), the troubled sister of Tito's girlfriend, shows up out of nowhere, and asks to movie in with them after she ends up on the street, initially unaware of her situation, they take her in, but later discovering that Rachel was working for Caesar (Andre Brown) a rival drug dealer just to make quick money, and was ripping him off before hiding in Brooklyn with her boyfriend.
Tito confronts her, but she denies it, saying that her boyfriend was taking the drugs knowing the outcome, though he later finds out that she did take the drugs after escaping a home invasion that saw everyone including her boyfriend getting killed.
Caesar contacts Tito, claiming that Rachel was responsible for stealing $40,000 worth of heroin, and demands that he turns both the drugs and Rachel over to him.
Instead, he reluctantly chooses to protect Rachel from Caesar, and lies to his gang about the real reason, only telling them to watch their backs.
After a shooting at a restaurant, Caesar calls Tito and declares war on him and his gang, Caesar has corrupt cops kill everyone at one of their crack spots, including a kid that just started working for them. Tito gets angry, then arranges to have those same cops killed. Leading into an all-out gang war that leads to violence, betrayal, and a lot of dead bodies.
There are also three minor subplots in the film, with Tony becoming romantically involved with one of the dancers from the club, Rachel trying to get back on good terms with her mother (Ivonne Fidias), with whom she is estranged from, and Crazy being frustrated with Tito's decisions, ultimately turning on him, and aligning himself with Caesar's gang.
This was the second film written and directed by Vasquez prior to him making "Hangin' with the Homeboys", you can see his skills as a writer & director improve, the film is gritty and low budget, but I think that is what makes it great.
That opening scene, which showed a gang killing off an entire family was pretty violent, but then again a lot of the scenes in this film are violent.
Some of the acting is kinda hokey and over the top, but surprisingly everyone does great in their parts, Vasquez does exceptionally well in the lead role.
This is a solid film, I recommend it.