Zoot Suit

"An American original."

1981 1h 43m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🥫

55%

ROTTEN

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 23🥫55%Rotten Tomatoes★6.7IMDB · 1,421

DramaMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Part fact and part fiction, Zoot Suit is the film version of Luis Valdez's critically acclaimed play, based on the actual Sleepy Lagoon murder case and the zoot suit riots of 1940s Los Angeles. Henry Reyna is the leader of a group of Mexican-Americans being sent to San Quentin without substantial evidence for the death of a man at Sleepy Lagoon. As part of the defense committee, Alice Bloomfield and George Shearer fight the blatant miscarriage of justice for the freedom of Henry and his friends.

“An American original.”

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Cast

Daniel Valdez
Henry Reyna
Edward James Olmos
El Pachuco
Charles Aidman
George Shearer
Tyne Daly
Alice Bloomfield
John Anderson
Judge F.W. Charles
Abel Franco
Enrique
Mike Gomez
Joey / Jose Torres
Alma Martinez
Lupe

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Luis Valdez
Writers: Luis Valdez
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Luis Valdez, shot by David Myers. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jacqueline Cambas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Daniel Valdez and Edward James Olmos and Charles Aidman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "An American original.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0083365 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Luis Valdez directs. David Myers behind the camera. Jacqueline Cambas cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

145 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3Directed by Luis Valdez, shot by David Myers. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Jacqueline Cambas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Daniel Valdez and Edward James Olmos and Charles Aidman carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "An American original.".
7IMDB entry: tt0083365 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.