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American History X
Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.
Release : | 1998 |
Rating : | 8.5 |
Studio : | New Line Cinema, The Turman-Morrissey Company, Savoy Pictures, |
Crew : | Art Direction, Art Direction, |
Cast : | Edward Norton Edward Furlong Beverly D'Angelo Jennifer Lien Ethan Suplee |
Genre : | Drama |
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Film Perfection
Best movie of this year hands down!
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
This is a bland story of a white supremacist and his transformation following his jail term. Despite all the hype and awards, I fail to see anything special about the movie. At times, Derek's long boring monologues almost put me asleep. Take the scene, for example, including the jewish history teacher at family dinner table. On the surface, there's tension and drama but the whole subplot is kept so long with a stale and contrived dialogue that the tension can't be sustained and the audience is tired. Derek's transform from an effervescent skinhead to a contrite preacher also looks very cliche and cheesy. A laundry boy's unilateral clownish acts towards an obnoxious working partner eventually warms up Neo-Nazi's heart and he repents of his past. Besides that some things don't add up at all. While Derek disapproves of his neo-nazi prison gang's dealings with hispanics, he is punished by the gang because he plays basketball with black inmates. Later, when he refuses to join the gang and chooses solitude in prison, the gang which were initially brutal towards him simply let him go. The female characters of the family are poorly developed and shown weak and subdued. The mother is totally indifferent to her boys' street activities. Their room is decorated with swastika flags and all sorts of white supremacist trash, which screams trouble but all she does is to smoke and cough in her bedroom. When the younger one follows the footsteps of the older sibling in prison, she then remembers to ask for help. Why doesn't she act before? Towards the end of the movie, it turns out the racism runs deep in the family starting with the slain dad. But that thread is not followed further. Ed Norton's acting is in general good but is it Oscar worthy? All in all, this is an ordinary crime story and family drama with gazillions of clones produced as tv series or dvd bin movies.
Somewhat good movie. The acting in some parts is absolutely horrible. The dinner scene is the dumbest and funniest scene ever to exist. Soured the rest of the movie.
One of the best movies i ever seen. Ed Norton with a exceptional interpretation. Without a doubt this is the best racist drama movie i seen.
While scrolling through IMDb, I stumbled across American History X. Intrigued by the plot summary, I decided to watch the movie with high expectations. Those high expectations were shattered with the incredible acting, heart wrenching, and soul churning scenes that unfold. This movie is extraordinary in every aspect. I enjoyed every aspect of the movie and would watch it again. The ending takes a stab into the viewers emotions, showing us the untimely death of our would-be protagonist. The scene only worsens when Derek rushes to the school and finds his younger brother lying dead in the urinal. The screams, shrieks, and cries from Derek nearly brought me to tears. The journey he had undergone, though revolutionary, was not enough to save his younger brother from the fate that was already sealed from following in his path of being a Neo-Nazi.The journey that is shown throughout the movie, switching from black and white to color, beautifully shows the outlook on life which Derek abides by, separating those who are not White Protestants from anyone else. The color change is extraordinary to convey his character transformation.The ending, as stated before, is one of the best scenes in the movie, pulling at the heart strings of the reader. Danny's fate is sealed once he blows the puff of smoke into the face of the African American student. This fate was carried out by Danny by worshiping the actions and ideology in which his older brother, Derek, dominated.The opening scene of the car robbery set the mood for the rest of the movie, not pulling back any punches when it came to brutality. The opening scene, however, also showed the contempt that Danny has for the final actions of Derek. Derek's murder of two African American men attempting to break into his car changed Danny forever. This change, however, is suppressed by Danny in order to be more like his brother. When Danny discovers the massive change in Derek, his frustration is let out by pushing him against a garage many times. This anger seems to be coming from the confusion Danny now faces on whether to follow his brother again or stick to what he made himself believe.All in all, this is an amazing movie and I would recommend this to any friend.