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I love Edward Norton and this movie.

Definitely one of the top five films on my list, of all times. 10/10

Plodding alphebetically through my old reviews until I can afford to see something new, we have American History X. Now, this was one of my older reviews and, so, it basically sucks and I won't post it here. Instead, I'll just write up a short brand new and probably equally sucky review.

Very powerful, if a little cheesy at points. Edward Norton is spectacular...and he was HUGE in this movie.

I always thought this movie was about black people and slavery, but now I know finally what it is about. I mean, I could have just read about it, but I do not like reading reviews and summaries before watching a movie myself. I always try to really just form an opinion and view of my own.

Good story, touching, quite fine acting and probably a must-see. I think I've even already seen parts of American History X before, but never the whole story. Great they showed it on TV tonight, because I'd planned on really watching it once anyway.

Tony Kaye's powerful and controversial American History X brilliantly evokes the hateful racism that can fuel so many idle young minds...and yet one of the problems with the film is that all it does is evoke that racism rather than examining the causes of hatred . This is a potentially powerful drama that remains curiously unsatisfying despite the fact that it is undeniably well-made and features a stellar lead performance by Edward Norton. American History X follows the character of Derek Vinyard, a 20-something young man who developed into one of the most prominent figures in the skinhead subculture before taking his racism too far and being convicted for a brutal murder. The movie alternates between scenes set several years in the past, where Derek is a vicious racist, and present-day scenes in which Derek has been reformed in prison and now wants to prevent his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) from straying down the path of hatred and bigotry. As a story of redemption, American History X is not entirely convincing: it seems as if someone with such deep-seeded racism as Derek would need more than a kind black friend in jail to reform him. Oddly enough, the film is at its most exhilarating (and disturbing) during the flashback scenes in which Derek is delivering his white-supremacy speeches. Norton never laces the speeches with his own knowledge of how stupid and misguided Derek is, and so the rhetoric spewed by Derek and his fellow skinheads is powerful and upsetting. If Tony Kaye had actually examined what makes these racists the way they are, rather than glossing over the subject matter with hip MTV-style cinematography, American History X might have been a modern-day masterpiece. Instead, the ending is unsatisfactory and sentimentally manipulative, and as mentioned before, Derek's transformation may be touching but it is somewhat hard to believe. This is certainly a movie that deserves to be seen, if only because it will inspire discussion about how to avoid racism and hatred. But American History X is less than the sum of its parts, and instead of being a profound statement about bigotry, it is a glossy and surprisingly conventional story of personal redemption.

(BASIC)

With the release of The Passion of Christ, the Anti-semitic viewpoint that it has been charged with has reignited the issue of anti-semitism in films. Recent films that i have watched has also deal with this issue, from Hitler: Rise of Evil to The Believer. Another movie to put on your to-watch list is American History X, a powerful, provocative film about racism. If Ryan Gosling was good in The Believer, Edward Norton is positively electrifying in American History X, in one of his best roles ever. As the Neo-Nazi skinhead Derek Vinyard, he infuses the character with such angst and bottled up rage that is unshakable. He is at times stubborn, hotheaded, violent, and also repentant, calm, determined as the anti hero Derek. Norton displays an astonishing range of emotions that is fully worthy of an Oscar Nomination for Best Actor in 1998. The directing is also solid, with the use of black and white photography with colour. The script is above all engaging and interesting. While The Believer, was a weak script held up by mediocre directing and good acting, American History X is an engaging script with above average directing and awesome acting. Edward Furlong also puts up a solid performance as Norton's younger brother who has fallen by the wayside. While one of the better films i watched, and well on its way into my top 50 list, it is however let down by a weak ending which i felt was sort of a cop-out, and which is somewhat ambiguous. I wasn't expecting a good or negative ending, but the ending of this movie felt weak to me and it was as if the movie was left hanging and not given a proper resolution. Still American History X is a fine piece of film making and ranks up there with Fight CLub as one of Edward Norton's best. It is also an insightful movie about the perils of racism in American society that til today is still very much a social problem.

a great topic, and a great point of view of it

:fresh: This is a must see movie. Ed Norton is awesome. :fresh:

Directed by Tony Kaye
Written by David McKenna
Genre: Drama/Crime/Thriller
MPAA: Rated R for graphic brutal violence including rape, pervasive language, strong sexuality and nudity
Runtime: 119 minutes
Plot Summary: A former neo-nazi skinhead (Norton) tries to prevent his younger brother (Furlong) from going down the same wrong path that he did. - IMDB

American History X should be much better than it is. It is smart, yet extremely preachy - sounds like propaganda, but it isn't nearly as bad as John Q or The Life of David Gale. Everything it says is though-provoking, but the manner in which it is presented is trite and convoluted. Director Tony Kaye lost control of the film in post-production as New Line cinema brought in a new editor. Kaye wished to take his name off of the film, utilizing the famed Alan Smithee credit. But he was not allowed to use the pseudonym. Edward Norton gives a knockout performance, but the film feels too much like a made-for-tv movie. I am watching it on the WB, and it seems as if that is where it belongs.

If you like American Hisotry X, you might also like...
- Romper Stomper (Geoffrey Wright, 1992) - A group of skinheads become alarmed at the way their neighbourhood is changing. - IMDB
- Dangerous Minds (John N. Smith, 1995) - An ex-marine teacher struggles to connect with her students in an inner city schools. - IMDB