La Bamba (1987)
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 East Midlands
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 East
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 London
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 Midlands
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 North
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 North East
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 North West
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 Northern Ireland
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 Wales
07/09: 23:55 - BBC1 Scotland
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 South
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 South West
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 West
07/09: 23:05 - BBC1 South East
Most pop biopics are tepid affairs, but the same cannot be said for director Luis Valdez's engrossing re-creation of Ritchie Valens's short life. Los Angeles band Los Lobos perform impassioned versions of the young man's songs, and their playing is mirrored by Lou Diamond Phillips's intense performance, which brings the 1950s rock 'n' roll star to life with a lot of vibrant detail while generally avoiding the usual clichés of the genre. As Ritchie's bad-boy half-brother, Esai Morales also contributes to the authenticity.
