"One in every three black males is in some phase of the correctional system. Is that a coincidence, or do these people have, you know, like a racial commitment to crime?" - Derek Vinyard
Tony Kaye has not made any other films that have been as widely recognized as this in the United States. Which is shocking to me considering the absolute brilliance of this film both in mood... read more
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Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated performance in American History X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you, it should; Norton is so fully immersed in his role as a neo-Nazi skinhead thaD
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Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated performance in American History X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you, it should; Norton is so fully immersed in his role as a neo-Nazi skinhead that his character's eloquent defense of racism is disturbingly persuasive--at least on the surface. Looking lean and mean with a swastika tattoo and a mind full of hate, Derek Vinyard (Norton) has inherited racism from his father, and that learning has been intensified through his service to Cameron (Stacy Keach), a grown-up thug playing tyrant and teacher to a growing band of disenfranchised teens from Venice Beach, California, all hungry for an ideology that fuels their brooding alienation.
The film's basic message--that hate is learned and can be unlearned--is expressed through Derek's kid brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), whose sibling hero-worship increases after Derek is imprisoned (or, in Danny's mind, martyred) for the killing of two black men. Lacking Derek's gift of rebel rhetoric, Danny is easily swayed into the violent, hateful lifestyle that Derek disowns during his thoughtful time in prison. Once released, Derek struggles to save his brother from a violent fate, and American History X partially suffers from a mix of intense emotions, awkward sentiment, and predictably inevitable plotting. And yet British director Tony Kaye (who would later protest against Norton's creative intervention during post-production) manages to juggle these qualities--and a compelling clash of visual styles--to considerable effect. No matter how strained their collaboration may have been, both Kaye and Norton can be proud to have created a film that addresses the issue of racism with dramatically forceful impact. --Jeff Shannon
“"One in every three black males is in some phase of the correctional system. Is that a coincidence, or do these people have, you know, like a racial commitment to crime?" - Derek Vinyard
Tony Kaye has not made any other films that have been as widely recognized as this in the United States. Which is shocking to me considering the absolute brilliance of this film both in mood, and character. Another shocking fact that I learned while researching this film to write this review is that Edward Norton and Tony Kaye very publicly feuded over editing control which led ultimately to Kaye demanding that his name be removed from the credits and replaced with the name Humpty Dumpty. I am not sure exactly why Kaye was so displeased with this film, because I felt that the editing in part” read more
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