American History X

Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: Even though it was really hard for me to watch this film given its content, I have to say that "American History X" is definitely a film worth seeing. I understand that not all movies can be nice and comfortable, and this movie proves that.

Edward Norton was incredible in his role as a reformed Nazi skinhead. The array of emotions he projected before and after his reformation left me speechless. He's an actor in the truest sense of the word.

Yes, like I've said before, this movie is difficult to watch, but my advice is to look beyond the hatred, name-calling, and violence and discover the message the film.

Rating:
Summary: One of the finest films Ihave seen in some time
Review: There are very few films that I truly came away from stunned. Fight Club was one. English Patient was another. Films that pushed the boundaries, did things differently and refused to conform to cliched and predictable Hollywood movies. Films that lean away from mere entertainment and more towards art. Without a doubt, American History X is one of these films.

The storyline follows Daniel (Edward Furlong) and his older brother Derrick (Edward Norton). Both are restless white skinheads who are part of a neo-nazi skinhead gang. The plot unravels Derricks penchant for leadership while Daniel looks up to him in awe. Filmed in both colour and black and white, this is very powerful film-making backed up by powerful performances.

Much of the story holds a message, which is one that I'll leave for you to find out yourselves. It looks at racism, both from whites and blacks. It looks at those who look past the colour of someone's skin or hold no grudge for prejudice that another man holds. It looks at family and role models. It looks at the unnecessary anger that a whole generation of people can have.

This is a powerful and impressing film that everyone should see.

Rating:
Summary: My review
Review: I think this movie is great. Not only it is a great film with exciting moments and unforgettable feelings, but it also gives a very interesting point of view over the problem of racism.
I loved it.
so watch it!

Rating:
Summary: Flat-out dazzling
Review: In probably the most controversial film I've ever seen, director Tony Kaye tackles a very touchy subject that most directors wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole: racism. I think the way in which he portrayed the characters of Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) and Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong) is close to the best casting job a person could do.

Furlong and Norton are able to obtain a perfect amount of love for each other. Whereas there is enough hate built up inside of the both of them to kill off the entire black community; which is something that is very prevalent in each scene. There are some very disturbing images in the movie. For example, when Norton smashes the jaw of the man who breaks into his car (we'll leave it at that) I almost threw up. And that's the kind of brilliance you should be looking for in a film. It can't matter whether or not the images or views are gross or even racist, because it's just a movie. And it's a great one. Seeing Edward Furlong break out of his "Detroit Rock City" bad-ass/photo-taking peckerboy-swagger is enough in itself to make this movie 5 stars.

But what really makes this movie so great is its ending. I'm not going to spoil it for you, yet I'm sure you could give a few decent guesses that might be close. The ending may have not been right in some people's eyes, and it may not have been a happily ever after finish either, but it's good. There's no getting around that. It's brilliant, it's shocking, and if you didn't see it coming the first time; watch it again.

There's no way you could possibly be disappointed with the movie, whether you're black or white. It gives us a view of the high and low points of both races, and in the end it all works out. So watch this movie and enjoy it, you won't be let down.

Rating:
Summary: Brutal and intense, yet sophisticated and intellectual
Review: Very few movies have ever left me completely speechless....This, however, was one of them. It's very easy sometimes to forget how harsh and troubled life in America really can be. Too many of us are lost in the repetitive, mindless, false-sense-of-security world of American suburbia. We see the violent images on TV, but never truly believe that hate and racial warfare could possibly still be rampant in America. This movie will snap you back to reality. Edward Norton was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of young white-supremicist Derek Vinyard. Equally excellent is Edward Furlong, who portrays Derek's younger brother. The interplay between the actors is impressive and moving, and this brotherly connection is what ultimately makes this movie work as well as it does.

The American media today is saturated with (mostly international, anti-american) images and rhetoric about fundamentalism, extremism, intolerance, and hate. Too few of these images, however, have an immediate and personal impact on a sheltered American audience. This film provides a realistic portrayal of what extremism and bigotry can do when set loose on the streets of America.

Rating:
Summary: It'll Startle You, Then Make You Think
Review: This movie frightened me more than any movie I had ever seen before, mainly because the content is more than just a brilliant story, but an eye-opening reality in many places across America. I was so frightened that I couldn't even stay in the theater after the movie was over to watch the end credits.

There are two separate and distinct storylines in this movie that are interwoven in order to give the audience the entire picture. Half the movie is shot in color, symbolizing the present day. The other half is black and white, representing things that had occurred two years earlier, before Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) was incarcerated. The movie starts out in black and white, with a gruesome scene where Derek, a white supremacist, executes two African-Americans on his front yard for trying to steal his car. Subsequent black and white scenes will explain the reasons why these guys were trying to seek revenge by stealing the car. For his actions, Derek goes to prison for two years, during which time he better grasps the realities of his hatred and decides to change his perspective when he is released. The present day scenes show Derek and his attempt to dissuade his brother Danny (Edward Furlong) from following in his footsteps.

Director Tony Kaye does a brilliant job of concurrently narrating both of these story lines. Simultaneously, Kaye shows how hate is learned, and also how it can be unlearned. Though, this isn't really a movie about how things SHOULD be, but about how things ARE. While I'm not going to give away the ending, I will say that the battle against racism and hatred is not furthered at the story's conclusion. ... However, here we have a movie about an educated, articulate man who believes that he can intelligently justify his rage against anyone who isn't white Protestant.

There are several great performances in this movie. Of course, there's the brilliant performance by Edward Norton, who was rightfully nominated for an Academy Award for this role and probably should have won. Beverly D'Angelo was also outstanding in the role of Derek and Danny's mother. I still get goosebumps when I think of her character screaming out that "the only thing [she's] ashamed of is that [Derek] came out of her body." Avery Brooks is also excellent as a high school principal who can be both intimidating and compassionate. Finally, I have to acknowledge the performance of Ethan Suplee as Seth, the bumbling and impressionable lackey. Playing a lackey isn't new to Suplee, who had a recurring role on "Boy Meets World" as the brainless sidekick to the school bully. He plays the same character here, except that this role is far more powerful and emotionally charged. There's a memorable scene in the movie where he's driving down the street in a van singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" substituted with White Power lyrics.

This is an extremely violent movie with many graphic scenes that are definitely not suitable for children and even adults would find disturbing. However, this movie is extremely compelling, and definitely a must-see.

Rating:
Summary: Good but disturbing
Review: Well-acted, surprisingly accurate portrayal of naive but dangerous Neo-Nazi youths in the USA. The films primary fault lies in the unrealistically easy enlightenment of Derek, the films primary protagonist.

Rating:
Summary: A harrowing movie with a worthy message. 4.5 stars.
Review: "American History X" is an ambitious movie that takes direct aim at American racism, an institution as old as the country itself. The movie places its focus on a currently prominent manifestation of racism in America, namely the proliferation of Neo-Nazi skinheads who take their cues from Hitler. Pulling no punches in its depictions of language and violence, it seeks to discredit the hateful views of racists by exposing their roots in the confusion and anger felt by many young people. And it's a rousing success. With a searing lead performance by Edward Norton, the movie is a thorough and intelligent examination of what causes hatred and what can end it.

The plot, much of which is told through flashbacks, concerns the situation of two brothers in Los Angeles, Derek Vinyard (played by Norton) and the younger Danny (Edward Furlong). After they move to Venice Beach, Derek becomes a top student and basketball star, but their neighborhood is also gradually taken over by gangs. When Derek and Danny's father is murdered while fighting a fire at a crack house, Derek develops a hatred towards minorities and immigrants that manifests itself in his Neo-Nazi activities. After killing two black guys for trying to steal his car, Derek gets three years in prison. While inside, he befriends his black coworker in the laundry and becomes incensed by the behavior of his fellow skinheads. With the help of a concerned teacher, Derek repudiates his hateful ways and decides to tell Danny his story in the hopes of keeping him from going down the same path.

On the whole, the movie is extremely convincing and thought-provoking. It does an excellent job of illustrating the lure of racism for America's disaffected white youth, connecting it with the urban problems of crime and immigration. When Derek gives a speech to a crowd of his followers decrying the results of America's lenient immigration policy, he says a number of things that non-skinheads have been saying for years. As this movie tries to portray, what makes racism such an attractive belief is the ability of men like Derek Vinyard to seize on real feelings and problems that confront a broad range of people. When young people with strong emotions feel marginalized or unsafe in their own neighborhoods, and someone like Derek Vinyard comes along telling them their problems are all the fault of some other group, the message can sound pretty seductive, and "American History X" deserves credit for depicting that reality.

Ultimately, though, the message of the movie is that for all its surface appeal, hatred isn't the answer. As the well-intentioned teacher Dr. Sweeney makes Derek see, those who seek answers by blaming some other group aren't going to find any answers because they're not asking the right questions. Derek tries to convey that sentiment to Danny, telling him that hating minorites didn't make him feel any better, it just made him even angrier. That's the movie's underlying message, summarized by Danny's line "hate is baggage." What "American History X" tries to do through its story is expose the ultimately counterproductive nature of hate and bigotry, and it does an excellent job.

Now, this movie isn't perfect. Although it does certainly have an admirable subject, it can get a bit preachy in addressing it. For example, Derek's transformation in prison is a little too clean-cut. He doesn't approve of a fellow skinhead's drug-dealing, he befriends a black inmate who may as well have "stereotype" and "message" printed on his prison jumpsuit, and bang! He's not a racist anymore. And all Derek needs to do is tell his story to his impressionable younger brother on his first day out of jail, and all of a sudden Danny has rejected racism too. I realize that things may have to be accomplished quickly for the purposes of a two-hour movie, but I really think this aspect could've been "earned" a bit more. It's just a little bit too "easy" for me.

All shortcomings aside, though, "American History X" is more than up to the lofty task it takes upon itself. It could've simply taken a "racists are evil" approach, but it's surprisingly perceptive in its depiction of the seductive nature of bigotry. The movie tells us that hatred is learned, and that an emphasis on our shared humanity can go a long way toward solving the problem. Sure, it can get a bit preachy, but it has a message worth hearing.

Rating:
Summary: a brilliant movie
Review: i think that this movie is amazing, because attack the hypocresysice of the deepest and show us the real american feeling about the judes and the nigers. Movies like that mades the people conscient that they are not alone whit their things.
Congratulations.

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly Thought Provoking
Review: This is without a doubt one of the most riveting films that I have ever seen. Ed Norton, no slouch whatever his role, puts forth one of the finest roles he will ever play. Eerily believable, his twisted logic will at somepoint challenge even the most liberal of thinkers to question where their beliefs come from. Even if you are leary of buying this without seeing it go to the store and rent it. This is one of those movies that kids should see and discuss.