Timely themes, but highly stylized
“Zoot Suit,” based on actual events, deals with a gang murder in Los Angeles in the early 1940s. Director Luis Valdez adapted his own stage play and often breaks the fourth wall for a particular character to address the audience or to show an audience watching the action. The film is an odd melange of crime drama, musical, sociopolitical critique and mythologizing treatise on the Chicano spirit.<br /><br />Popularized by jazz musicians in the 1930s, the “zoot suit” style of menswear required an enormous amount of fabric. The pants featured exaggeratedly ballooning legs, a high waist, and tight cuffs. The jacket had heavily padded shoulders and hung down to the knees. The outfit was not complete without a watch chain that looped down below the knees. The style originated in Harlem and was adopted by Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles shortly thereafter.<br /><br />In 1942, a young Latino was stabbed to death after being confronted by a group of friends about an earlier altercation. The L.A. police arrested 17 Mexican-American boys who were held in jail without bail, eventually convicted of second-degree murder despite insubstantial evidence, and sentenced to serve many years in prison.<br /><br />Telling this story in straightforward fashion would have made a gripping drama. Instead, Valdez eschews traditional narrative in favor of stylization. Mixing in rhythmic songs, lively dances choreographed by Patricia Birch, and distracting stage techniques, he creates a choppy amalgamation of film and live theater. Actors huddle in small groups as backgrounds are darkened and stage lighting illuminates specific parts of the frame. Sometimes the action spills out into a packed audience.<br /><br />With a cast made up almost entirely of Valdez’s theater company, the film projects a driving energy which is infectious. Interspersing the tale of Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez, the director’s brother), leader of the accused Chicanos who is plagued by a menacing alter-ego (Edward James Olmos), with vibrant musical numbers gives the picture an air of celebration, which seems contradictory in a story about racial injustice. It’s often jarring when Valdez switches from a serious scene to a musical interlude. The technique enlivens the picture, but at a cost. These scenes may be viewed more as celebration than an emotional outlet for a marginalized minority.<br /><br />Tyne Daly co-stars as sympathetic Alice Bloomfield, John Anderson plays biased judge F.W. Charles, and Charles Aidman portrays good-hearted attorney George Shearer fighting the racially motivated, unjust conviction. The most memorable performance is that of Olmos as the surrealistic El Pachuco, a mysterious figure who lurks through the film as both a spiritual icon of the Chicano people and Henry’s alter-ego. Dressed in red shirt and black zoot suit, he slinks through scenes, strikes poses, sneers, and delivers poisonous comments. His is the most stylized character.<br /><br />Because director Valdez has chosen a hybrid theatrical-cinematic format, he often distances the viewer. The result is an overly ambitious  hodgepodge. The production design and cinematography, with their blaze of color, movement, and vivid lighting, give the film the look of an extravagant pageant.<br /><br />Bonus materials on the R-rated Blu-ray release include the following:<br />Audio Commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Daniel Kremer<br />Interview with Writer/Director Luis Valdez (15:47)<br />Reversible cover art<br />“Zoot Suit” trailer (2:17)<br />“The Milagro Beanfield War” trailer (1:23)<br />“Get Crazy” trailer (1:32)<br /><br />It was unusual in the early 80s to have a movie from a major Hollywood studio starring an almost 100% Latino cast. Though set in 1940s Los Angeles, “Zoot Suit” feels timely with its themes of racial bias, systematic oppression, and identity. Though the structure might put off viewers, the movie succeeds in making an important statement.
The movie title "Zoot Suit," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.7 from 894 reviewers. 
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The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Genre": "Musical", "Contributor": "Gomez, Mike, McCarthy, Frank, Ontiveros, Lupe, Anderson, John, Franco, Abel, Aidman, Charles, Martinez, Alma, Valdez, Luis, Olmos, Edward James, Daly, Tyne, Valdez, DanielGomez, Mike, McCarthy, Frank, Ontiveros, Lupe, Anderson, John, Franco, Abel, Aidman, Charles, Martinez, Alma, Valdez, Luis, Olmos, Edward James, Daly, Tyne, Valdez, Daniel  See more", "Language": "English", "Runtime": "1 hour and 43 minutes", "MPAA rating": "R (Restricted)", "Package Dimensions": "6.6 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches; 3.21 Ounces", "Director": "Valdez, Luis", "Run time": "1 hour and 43 minutes", "Release date": "March 15, 2022", "Actors": "Valdez, Daniel, Olmos, Edward James, Daly, Tyne, Aidman, Charles, Anderson, John"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : Part fascinating fact, part dazzling fiction, Zoot Suit is Luis Valdez’s (La Bamba) blistering film adaptation of his own critically acclaimed stage drama based on the “zoot suit riots” that rocked 1940s Los Angeles. When barrio leader Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez, The China Syndrome) and a group of his friends are unjustly convicted on circumstantial evidence and sent to San Quentin, activist lawyers Alice Bloomfield (Tyne Daly, The Enforcer) and George Shearer (Charles Aidman, Kotch) fight the blatant racially motivated miscarriage of justice to win Henry and his friends their freedom. Featuring Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver) in the role of the mythical “Pachuco” that catapulted him to stardom, Zoot Suit is a scorchingly searing and seductively provocative work that skillfully blends action, drama, romance and music! Zoot Suit features a rousing score by the film’s star Daniel Valdez and beautiful cinematography by David Myers (THX 1138)..