American History X (1998) Review

Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), the charismatic leader of a group of young neo-Nazi white supremacists, lands in prison for a brutal hate-driven murder. Upon his release he is ashamed of his past and pledges to reform himself. Derek realizes that his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) is headed for a similar fate and so Derek attempts to save his brother from the teachings of a manipulative white supremacist (Stacey Keach) who also was the one who convinced Derek of his pre-prison beliefs after his father was murdered by a black man. I refuse to give away what happens to Derek in prison that makes him change because it is such a powerfully disturbing moment but not excessive.

Derek is a character of many multiple dimensions. During the black and white flashbacks we see a man consumed by rage and hate and when the film transitions to color for the present day events we see a more reserved although by no means timid version of Derek. Edward Norton plays both these with a scorching intensity that is perfection in its complexities. We believe that the character would transition the way he does. There is no moment of insincerity in Derek's attempts to change.

There is quite a bit of racist language in the film. It pulls no punches with showing the film through white supremacist's eyes. One scene in particular drives this home. There is a basketball game between Derek, his fellow neo-Nazis and a group of black teenagers. Derek manages to make the game winning shot and we get the general "hero" theme as the white characters celebrate their victory. We don't know anything about the black characters they played against, who they are as people, because neither does Derek. He has no desire to. With all these trappings (the music, the "hero" shots, a strong charismatic character) it can be hard not to root for him on a visceral level. There is, at the same time, a lot of irony in this scene. The successes are not borne out of joy but out of hate. The film is extensively subtle in the way it teaches the lessons it does and is, without giving spoilers, a heartbreaking picture.

★★★★