American History X (R-1998)

It's been out for 10 years and I have finally gotten around to seeing "American History X". While I am a big Edward Norton fan, there is one scene in the film that is so brutal, just hearing about it made me avoid the film. While the scene in question was brutal, it was merely one of several scenes of brutality and ugliness. Edward Norton plays Derek Vinyard, a vehement racist who leads a group of white supremacists in urban Los Angeles. When he violently confronts a group of black men who are breaking into his car, he finds himself going to prison for his actions. While he is in prison, his younger brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), becomes more and more deeply involved with the gang of white supremacists. When Derek is released, he is hailed as a returning hero but he is a very changed man. He no longer believes in the extreme racism he once championed and is driven to get his brother back on the straight and narrow. His transformation is so complete, it actually comes off as unrealistic. This was a bad dude, hell-bent at being on the forefront of the race war and now, he is a reasonable man who hates all that he once stood for. It does not seem realistic that such a complete reversal would take place while in prison. Using black-and-white flashbacks, the film does an excellent job at explaining this transformation, while also detailing the genesis of his hatred. Edward Norton and Edward Furlong are fantastic in this film. People familiar with Ethan Suplee from "My Name is Earl" and several Kevin Smith films will be amazed by the utterly reprehensible character he plays in this film. There are also very good performances by Stacy Keach, Beverly D'Angelo, Elliot Gould and Avery Brooks, who has been a personal favorite of mine since his role as "Hawk" in "Spenser: For Hire". If you having been living under a rock like I have with regards to this movie, I highly recommend getting up to speed and seeing this powerful film.

Grade: B+

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