Robby Benson (Ice Castles, The Chosen) stars as Emilio, a wrong-side-of-the-tracks Chicano kid who runs with Los Aztecas, an L.A. street gang. After experiencing this world of brutality and power plays for some time, he yearns for a way out, and with the help of his girlfriend (Sarah Holcomb, Animal House, Caddyshack) decides to start a new life. From acclaimed writer Evan Hunter (The Blackboard Jungle, The Birds) and veteran TV director Robert L. Collins (Police Story, Gideon’s Trumpet), Walk Proud is a riveting gang-life drama in the vein of The Warriors and The Wanderers. Co-starring Henry Darrow (The Hitcher), Pepe Serna (Scarface) and Trinidad Silva (Colors).

For thoughts on Walk Proud, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/504tluBaYxY?t=3985]

Video Quality

Walk Proud comes to Blu-Ray via Scorpion Releasing and Kino Classics with a 1080p transfer from a new 2K master in 1.85:1. While you can tell there has been some effort put into this new master, this presentation still has some rough patches with print damage and scratches. The transfer provides an organically filmic presentation that only occasionally suffers from hazy looking shots. For the majority of the film, the transfer is fairly detailed, but there are the occasional shots that run on the soft side or experience some fluctuations in density. The presentation features some decent detail in the production design and texture of clothing. Colors are mostly vibrant and bright, especially in the daytime exteriors of the film. The black levels could be a bit stronger as they struggle a bit with depth. Fans of the film will probably view it as a win to have this in high definition with at least some effort put forth by Scorpion Releasing.

Audio Quality

Scorpion Releasing brings us this new Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that offers a good audio experience. This film showcases music well throughout, and it always presents with a pleasing fidelity. The dialogue holds up nicely, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the score or sound effects. Environmental effects are delineated nicely including the chatter when the members of the gang are together and the sound of various altercations. This track does not present with any glaring instances of age related wear and tear. This is a track that represents the film in a very pleasing way. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

Interview with Actor Pepe Serna: A new 14-minute virtual interview with the actor who plays Cesar in which he talks about getting involved with the project, his thoughts about Robby Benson playing a Latino role, the continued lack of Latino roles on film, memories of his various co-stars, some of his roles post Walk Proud, being reduced to gang members in every story and more.

Interview with Actress Irene DeBari: A three-minute virtual interview with the actress who plays Emilio’s mother in which she discusses getting cast in this role, her memories of the production, recollections of the ensemble, working with actual gang members, how she feels about the movie now and more.

Interview with Actor Panchito Gómez: An 11-minute virtual interview with the actor who plays Manuel in which he discusses his memories of the production, working with director Robert L. Collins, his relationship with the ensemble, getting to perform on Sesame Street, his thoughts about the film and more.

Interview with Actor Luis Reyes: A 17-minute in-person interview with the actor who plays El Espanol in which he discusses his early career, the audition process for Walk Proud, how the movie was inspired by the success of The Warriors, the tradition of brownface, the deficiencies of the film, the background of the title, working with Robby Benson and more. This is a really great, honest piece that is worth a look.

Final Thoughts

Walk Proud starts off on an unsteady foot by having a white lead playing a Latino role, and this is further compounded by the rather stereotypical, two-dimensional roles that are given to others in this community. The ensemble does what they can with the characters they are given, but this is far from a showcase project for the Latinx community. Outside of the more problematic elements, the film mostly comes across as a decent TV movie rather than a traditional feature film. It provides passable entertainment, but it is far from a hidden gem. Scorpion Releasing and Kino Classics have brought this on to Blu-Ray with a solid A/V presentation and a selection of entertaining new interviews. If this one sounds interesting to you, go ahead and check it out, but be aware of how dated the narrative is.

Walk Proud is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Scorpion Releasing and Kino Classics have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.