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| Courtesy of Universal |
You might not recognize Danny Trejo by name, but I can almost certainly guarantee you know his face. The prolific, 76-year-old actor has nearly 400 film and television credits to his name and has worked with superstars like Robert De Niro, Charles Bronson, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson, George Clooney, Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba, Nicolas Cage and a ton of others.
However, as long and diverse as Trejo’s career is, it’s not the most impressive thing about him. The new documentary Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo reveals that he’s so much more than an actor. He’s a convicted felon, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, a counselor, a motivational speaker, an entrepreneur and a devoted family man.
I went into director Brett Harvey’s film already a fan of Trejo as a performer, but I walked away from it with a whole new respect and admiration for him as a man. Inmate #1 – named for both his own past and the kind of roles he played for the first few years of his career – chronicles Trejo’s journey from troubled kid on the streets of Pacoima (a neighborhood in Los Angeles) to one of the most recognizable character actors in Hollywood.
His early life was rough, to say the least: a rocky relationship with his father led to him idolizing his criminal uncle. As a result, he was a heroin addict at 12, driving drunk at 13 and committing a string of armed robberies a short time later. That put him in San Quentin State Prison for several years, where an encounter with a guard that should’ve earned him the death penalty ended up turning his life around instead.
When Trejo got out, he started counseling other addicts, helping to keep them on track. From there, a chance encounter with a friend on a movie set put him on a new career path. Over the next few decades, he worked his way up from bit parts to his own franchise: the Machete films, which basically made him a Latino superhero. But no matter how famous he gets, he remembers his life could’ve easily gone a different way – a message he still relays to prisoners and at-risk teens.
Inmate #1 isn’t groundbreaking from a filmmaking perspective. Harvey sticks to talking heads, old photos, archival footage and a few creative shots to establish time periods depending on where we are in the narrative. However, that’s because he obviously knows the best special effect he has is Trejo himself.
The man exudes charisma, so it’s easy to see how he excelled in the movie industry once he got his foot in the door. Although he seems menacing on the surface – especially in archival footage from his younger days when he was an unquestionably dangerous guy – he makes it clear that all of that is behind him. Make no mistake, he still doesn’t tolerate disrespectful, prima donna actors, but he also wants to make sure others don’t go down the rough road he traveled.
Trejo is a hugely entertaining storyteller, so the 108-minute running time flies by (not always the case with documentaries). The loving tributes from his children, sister, and famous friends like Cheech Marin, Donal Logue and Michelle Rodriguez make the film even more powerful. I found myself laughing and getting choked up in equal measure, especially when Trejo recounts learning his mother passed away while he was filming Muppets Most Wanted in 2014. I would never dream of ruining the story here, but it’s literally one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard.
Before we got hit with a global pandemic, Inmate #1 was scheduled to open in 40 theaters in addition to VOD. would’ve gotten a theatrical release. It's a shame that didn't happen, as Trejo’s story is a powerful, inspiring one that deserves to be seen by the biggest audience possible. I expected a standard, run-of-the-mill documentary, but it’s actually a strong contender for my Top 10 in December.
Who knows what’s going to happen in the next six months of this insane year? But no matter how things shake out, this documentary is a must-see.
Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo is not rated, but contains strong language and thematic elements. Available to rent on VOD July 7.
Grade: A-
However, as long and diverse as Trejo’s career is, it’s not the most impressive thing about him. The new documentary Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo reveals that he’s so much more than an actor. He’s a convicted felon, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, a counselor, a motivational speaker, an entrepreneur and a devoted family man.
I went into director Brett Harvey’s film already a fan of Trejo as a performer, but I walked away from it with a whole new respect and admiration for him as a man. Inmate #1 – named for both his own past and the kind of roles he played for the first few years of his career – chronicles Trejo’s journey from troubled kid on the streets of Pacoima (a neighborhood in Los Angeles) to one of the most recognizable character actors in Hollywood.
His early life was rough, to say the least: a rocky relationship with his father led to him idolizing his criminal uncle. As a result, he was a heroin addict at 12, driving drunk at 13 and committing a string of armed robberies a short time later. That put him in San Quentin State Prison for several years, where an encounter with a guard that should’ve earned him the death penalty ended up turning his life around instead.
When Trejo got out, he started counseling other addicts, helping to keep them on track. From there, a chance encounter with a friend on a movie set put him on a new career path. Over the next few decades, he worked his way up from bit parts to his own franchise: the Machete films, which basically made him a Latino superhero. But no matter how famous he gets, he remembers his life could’ve easily gone a different way – a message he still relays to prisoners and at-risk teens.
Inmate #1 isn’t groundbreaking from a filmmaking perspective. Harvey sticks to talking heads, old photos, archival footage and a few creative shots to establish time periods depending on where we are in the narrative. However, that’s because he obviously knows the best special effect he has is Trejo himself.
The man exudes charisma, so it’s easy to see how he excelled in the movie industry once he got his foot in the door. Although he seems menacing on the surface – especially in archival footage from his younger days when he was an unquestionably dangerous guy – he makes it clear that all of that is behind him. Make no mistake, he still doesn’t tolerate disrespectful, prima donna actors, but he also wants to make sure others don’t go down the rough road he traveled.
Trejo is a hugely entertaining storyteller, so the 108-minute running time flies by (not always the case with documentaries). The loving tributes from his children, sister, and famous friends like Cheech Marin, Donal Logue and Michelle Rodriguez make the film even more powerful. I found myself laughing and getting choked up in equal measure, especially when Trejo recounts learning his mother passed away while he was filming Muppets Most Wanted in 2014. I would never dream of ruining the story here, but it’s literally one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard.
Before we got hit with a global pandemic, Inmate #1 was scheduled to open in 40 theaters in addition to VOD. would’ve gotten a theatrical release. It's a shame that didn't happen, as Trejo’s story is a powerful, inspiring one that deserves to be seen by the biggest audience possible. I expected a standard, run-of-the-mill documentary, but it’s actually a strong contender for my Top 10 in December.
Who knows what’s going to happen in the next six months of this insane year? But no matter how things shake out, this documentary is a must-see.
Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo is not rated, but contains strong language and thematic elements. Available to rent on VOD July 7.
Grade: A-
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