El Chicano

El Chicano is a 2018 American superhero film directed by Ben Hernandez Bray, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Carnahan. It stars Raúl Castillo, Aimee Garcia, and George Lopez. The film has been called the "first Latino superhero movie". It premiered in September 2018 at the Los Angeles Film Festival and was released in the United States on May 3, 2019. Frank Grillo and Lorenzo di Bonaventura served as executive producers. Plot Growing up in East Los Angeles, California twin brothers Diego and Pedro, along with their friend José, hear stories of a legend called El Chicano, a vigilante who defends the streets of LA by eliminating gangsters and other criminals. After dropping off José at his house, he receives a beating from his mother. El Chicano shows up later and kills José's father called "Shadow", a wheelchair-using shot caller for his gang. Afterwards, he sees Diego and Pedro and then rides off in the night. Years later Diego is now an LAPD detective, Pedro is dead presumably by suicide, and José is now a gang leader who goes by his street name Shotgun. Diego, alongside his partner David investigates a crime scene where Shotgun's gang has been murdered except for one member, Silent. Diego and David pick him up for questioning, but he is executed during the drive. Diego goes to Shotgun for answers, but he evades the questions and taunts Diego uses by bringing up the abuse from his mother. Diego looks for answers from Pedro's old belongings and realizes Pedro was changing, wanting revolution, and justice for Los Angeles. Diego goes to his only trusted confidant, Father Jesus, who mentions Pedro changed after being released from prison and how he got involved with Shotgun and another member Diego has yet to identify. Diego is further surprised when he finds a hidden storage unit Pedro rented and that he had begun to resurrect the mantle of El Chicano before his death. Diego and David later stake out a party held by Shotgun but are ambushed, resulting in Diego being injured and David dying. Ordered to recover by Captain Gomez, Diego has his mom and girlfriend leave for a while until everything is settled.