"White people commit crimes against white people too." (American History X (DVD))

Member Name: Ataraxia

Product:	American History X (DVD)
Date:	11/02/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ed Norton; The arguements; Supporting Cast; Ending

Disadvantages: May be too much to stomach

"We're so hung up on this notion that we have some obligation to help the struggling black man, you know. Cut him some slack until he can overcome these historical injustices. It's crap. I mean, Christ, Lincoln freed the slaves, like, what? 130 years ago. How long does it take to get your act together?"

--Derek Vinyard




Edward Norton is one of those rare contemporary actors that you know whatever movie he's going to be in it's going to be good. American History X is by no means an exception, with Norton phenomenal in his performance as an ex-neo-Nazi attempting to prevent his brother from pursuing the path he did.

Edward Furlong (Terminator 2) plays the young skinhead Danny Vinyard, criticised by his teacher (Avery Brooks) for turning in a paper on Mein Kampf. The black teacher then instructs Danny to create a report on his brother's influence, titled "American History X"; what follows is a serious of flashbacks in black and white, narrated by Danny, of his brother Derek's rise to fame as the neo-Nazi guru of the D.O.C., who used propaganda to convert frustrated youths to racism.

Sporting muscles, a shaved head, and white power tattoos, Norton is quite the sight; he is presented as the physically superior, and is sent to prison for the murder of a black teenager who tried to steal his car. During this time inside, his hair has grows, he makes friends with a black inmate, and is raped and beaten by the neo-Nazi's he once believed were part of his culture. After three years Derek is a reformed person, and quits the D.O.C. to concentrate on looking after his Mother and re-educate Danny, after realising the errors of his ways.

Norton's performance is significantly mind-blowing: the transcendence from neo-Nazi to the reformed family man is psychologically coherent and brilliantly executed. Derek is not simply a mindless over-rebellious skinhead looking for someone to blame; his philosophy is rooted to the various dimensions of his character, which helps to explain his radical development from past to present. Sometimes it's hard to even disagree with some of his arguments.

Overall, American History X is a powerful and disturbing social commentary on contemporary Nazism. Some critics have even argued, in response to the film's influence, that it glorifies the views it purports to condemn. The latter, however, must only be a response to the gritty realism and challenging nature of the movie: it depicts the negative experiences of minorities with negative experiences of the "White supremists", which overall attempts to inspire change.

Director Tony Kaye apparently disowned the movie over editorial disputes, which I cannot understand. There are a few deleted scenes on the recent edition of the DVD that I think should've definitely been included in the final cut, but even without them American History X is a remarkable movie that discusses the shockingly brutal reality of racial prejudice in the modern world.

Summary: A shockingly brutal reality of racial prejudice in the modern world.