Maria is a rebellious Chicana teenager who emulates her American counterparts, much to her father’s chagrin. His restaurant is failing, and his sons try to help in their own way. Raul is going to college to become a doctor, although that won’t help matters here and now. Meanwhile, brother Juan turns to a life of crime and gets mixed up with an American gang. To make ends meet, Raul begins wrestling at night, but keeps things a secret because he knows his father would not approve.
Of Chicana Blood obviously has a lot to say about racial equality and economic disparity, and its messages are just as timely today as when it was made. Luckily, it isn’t too heavy handed or preachy as it often finds the right balance of drama and comedy. I especially liked the family’s cantankerous godmother who sneaks out and paints anti-gringo graffiti.
I know I probably should’ve sworn off Hurricane Ramirez movies after the dreadful Hurricane Ramirez and the Black Nun, but this one is a marked improvement in every regard. While humorous, it lacks the sitcom-style gags and plot predicaments that film had in favor of well-rounded characters and a genuine good-natured message. (It helped I was able to watch this one with subtitles.) The dramatic meat of the story is surprisingly rich, and the ending winds up being rather sad and depressing too.
At first, all this feels like it’s going to be another bait and switch because you don’t hear hide nor hair of Hurricane Ramirez for the first half of the movie. Stick with it though, because there’s a reason for the slow build-up. You see, Of Chicana Blood is actually… the origin story of Hurricane Ramirez! That’s right, it’s Hurricane Ramirez Begins!
It’s really cool to see Hurricane getting his start, even if many of the wrestling scenes are kind of rote. At least the final showdown between Hurricane and Golden Bull (who also happens to be Maria’s lout ex-boyfriend) has a little kick to it, thanks to the drama that has built up between the two opponents. I also liked the one wrestler known as “The Mathematician” who has a bunch of numbers on his mask, although that’s really the extent of his gimmick.
I’m always a little tougher on the Lucha Libre flicks that don’t have horror, sci-fi, or fantasy elements to begin with. However, while it doles out its message earnestly, Of Chicana Blood does get kind of dull in places, especially when no one is wrestling. Still, I’m surprised I liked it as much as I did, considering how inconsistent these later Hurricane Ramirez movies have been. I also admired the stealthy way they took a seemingly innocent family drama and turned it into a Mexican wrestling origin movie. This is easily the best Hurricane flick since the original.
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