Examining Mexican Mafia through Popular Culture Movie, American Me

Abstract

Mexican Mafia (also known as La Eme) is a prison gang in Los Angeles. Since its formation, it has outreached on the streets, too, and it is active in various criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, gambling, extortion and promoting prostitution. In my thesis, I am going to give a short overview of its history. Then, I am going to examine how Mexican Mafia is portrayed in popular culture movie, American Me (1992). Lastly, I am going to investigate the aftermath of this movie, since it has received mixed reactions by critics and by Mexican Mafia, too.