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Summary: 1 OF THE GREATEST MOVIES EVER!!!
Review: I LIKED THIS MOVIE SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! IT WAS EXITING TO WATCH. I ESPECIALLY LOVED EDWARD FURLONG!! HE WAS SO HOT IN THIS FILM!!AND ALL OF THE OTHER ACTORS WERE GREAT. IT WAS SUCH A WELL DONE MOVIE!!!
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Summary: Enter Edward Nortan
Review: American history X really helped to show me how much of a great actor Edward Nortan is. From start to finish, he gives a strong performance with Edward Furlong about two troubled young men. I have seen this movie several times and it never gets old.
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Summary: An strong realistic drama on color of race.
Review: A Ex-Neo Nazi Skinhead (Edward Norton in a strong, believable performance) returns home to his middle-class family. When he finds out that his younger brother (Edward Furlong in a fine role) is slowly turning, the way, he was.Directed by Tony Kaye shows this film, when is told in Black and White in Back Flashes, to the Neo Nazi Life and Prison Life. Written by David McKenna (Get Carter-Remake). Terrific Supporting Performances by Fairuza Balk, Beverly D`Angelo, Stacey Keach, Jennifer Lien, Elliot Gould, Avery Brooks, Ethan Suplee and Guy Torry. A strong rare drama that rings true to racism and changing the life style, you used to have. An unforgettable Drama. Grade:A.
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Summary: Great video for those concerned about racism
Review: Especially in light of the events of 9/11, this video is especially poignant. I'm reminded of Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who established the Holocaust Museum who believed in "remembering evil to prevent it". This video expresses a similar view; how to combat racism. We are all just people in the same struggles in life. Racism has never and will never make any sense whatsoever. We are all just people, period.
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Summary: Excellent Movie
Review: I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone 16 and up...as a matter of fact, it is a "need-to-see" for ages 16 and up. The ending of the movie climaxes idiotic and pompous racial violence that exists in American cities today, and worldwide. This movie provides the viewer with a look into a highly racist situation in California, but the location doesn't matter. The themes of the movie play out for any and all racial violence that has ever occured. I take away one star due to the heavy language, heavy violence, and sexual/racist themes that only an higher-aged teen could relate with or understand.
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Summary: Ed Norton at his best
Review: "Get off my f*ckin' court! This is my house!" Derek Vinyard is ordering a group of just-defeated blacks off the basketball court, but he's talking about more than basketball. American History X is the story of how Derek (Edward Norton - Primal Fear, Rounders) tries to break from his skinhead past as well as point his younger brother in the right direction as well. In the opening of the film, Derek kills two black men as they try to steal his truck from his driveway during the night. His younger brother, Danny (Edward Furlong - Pecker, Terminator 2: Judgement Day) witnesses the murders. With Derek in jail, Danny has started down the same path as Derek. He has the haircut, the friends, the ideals. When he turns in a report heralding Mein Kampf, the school's black principal resists the urging of his mother boyfriend (Elliot Gould) to boot him out. Instead Sweeney (Avery Brooks - TV's Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and Spenser: For Hire) assigns Danny a report on his brother and his influene upon him. American History X. As Danny writes his report, we learn through flashbacks (black and white) about how Derek bacame who he is; from his father's upbringing to his murder in a poor neighborhood. We visit the scene on the basketball court, Dereks skinhead "mentor" Cameron (Stacy Keach - TV's Mike Hammer) and a heated and violent family argument. When Derek is finally released from jail after three years, he is a changed man. His hair has grown out and he sees the wrong of his hatred. Now he must teach Danny as well. There was controversy surrounding this film prior to its release that goes beyond its content. For reasons that aren't entirely clear to me, director Tony Kaye wanted his name removed from the film. Apparently New Line Cinema was releasing its own cut of it, which Kaye described as a "rape, a total abuse of creativity." I have yet to be able to figure out what was different about the cuts that raised such an issue with Kaye. The plot of the movie is rather predictable. What helps raise it above that mediocrity is the acting, particulary Norton. He gives a performance worthy of the nomination it received for Best Actor in this year's Academy Awards. As the pre-incarcerated Danny, he is a powerful and vile character. His skinhead rhetoric is delivered with force and conviction, and the way he kills one of the would-be thieves is one of the most gruesome acts I've seen. Once he's released, the reformed Derek is portrayed as soft and afraid by Norton, an amazing transformation. Furlong and Brooks give fine performances as well. Guy Torry, in a supporting role as a black co-worker in the prison laundry, gives an notable performance. American History X was a very thought-provoking film. The ideals of the neo-Nazi skinheads are certainly disturbing and the conviction by which this ideals are upheald by Vinyard and the others is overwhelming. This is an excellent film and only some tweaks in the plot development keep it from being a superior one. 'Til whenever, remember . . . that ain't butter.
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Summary: gives skins a bad name
Review: OK this is a good movie , it has a good story on rascial prejudice and how our own hatred only ignites violence after violence. But I was perturbed by the use of "skinheads" over and over again , and how they were all presented as shaved headed doc marten wearing nazi's. The characters in the films were neo-nazis , not skinheads. True skinheads are anti rascist working class people who believe in unity and family support. Skinheads were given a bad name by movies such as this who portrayed all of us skins as people who shave our heads and wear swastikas , and the media also ignited more violence from blacks on skins because they thought anyone who shaved their head and claimed to be a skin was a rascist. This film does the same. Constantly saying skinhead over and over. Now the film is great to watch in terms of it's message , but it still gives us skins a bad reputation.
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Summary: Racism, and hate all in one fandamntastic movie.
Review: Everyone told me that i would love this movie, and after giving in and watching it, i almost kicked myself in the head for not watching it sooner. I wouldnt classify myself as racist, because everyone is equal, but what Derek ( Edward Norton) said in that movie, well to be honest some of it made so much sense. This movie is about skinheads, and the major skin head who brutally kills two black men for trying to "jack" his car. What this man goes through is enough to make anyone loose their marbles, especially the ending. Just when you think that everything is going to be ok, you want to cry. Great movie, i recommend you give it to all the rebellious teenagers out there who just don't care anymore.
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Summary: H.S. senior's view
Review: American History X is not your ordinary (...) Hollywood movie. It doesn't have a meaningless action plot line or a phony love story. It doesn't have a happy ending there aren't any heroes or heroine. What it does have is racism, ignorance, prejudice and pure hatred. It shows a negative part of our society as we don't want to see it, but as it truly is. It's an original movie that goes were no other has dared. American History X shows things that are hard to look at and hard to accept.
This isn't a movie that I should have to recommend because everybody should see it. Asking someone what they think of this film is like asking what they think of stone, this movie is about the truth. It's not about how good the acting is or if the storyline makes sense it's the message that everyone comes away with. Plus all that criteria for a good movie are in this film anyway.
The film starts of with Derek brutally killing two gang members for trying to steal his car. He goes to prison for only three years even though his actions that were shown could of landed him in prison for his life. Danny, Derek's younger brother says that if he would of testified Derek would get life in prison. Danny not testifying portrays Danny's strong love for his brother. It will also explain Danny becoming more and more like his brother that is at time in jail.
The film goes onto to explain Derek's reasoning for his racist views. This is a strong point in the movie; the viewer for the first time maybe in the first time in his life try's to understand, a racist and a murderer. It becomes clear that Derek's future views had a lot to do with his father. At the dinner table one day, Derek talks about how his teacher is making him read this book, which has a premise of white prejudice towards blacks. Derek's father tells him not to absorb everything that his teacher tells him. It is a warning that to me infers Derek's reaction to his father's death. When Derek's father is killed in a fire Derek is shown on TV being interviewed. Derek lets loose saying indirectly that minorities caused his father's death and that they plague America. Derek then is shown leading a gang of enraged teens to attack a supermarket. Derek's views have materialized and he plans to do something.
The film continues with Derek in jail, from this point on the film jumps backwards and forwards a lot. Derek in jail refuses to see anyone from his family because he is ashamed and he thinks it will make it harder for him in jail by always thinking about them. Derek has found his group; he knew that if he didn't find people with the same views as himself he would probably get killed. When he notices that one of the people in his group is dealing with a minority he is disgusted by it and wants answers, but the others in the group don't see it so seriously. That's when Derek disses his group and they rape him in the bathroom for it.
This is a turning point in the story, when his old teacher comes to visit him the same teacher the Danny now is thought by. The teacher makes an interesting comment that to Derek "Has anything in your life made your life any better?" From this point on Derek starts to think about what has happened to him and what he has done in his life. This will become more evident as the story goes on and Derek's views are made clearer. The only people he has ever trusted betray Derek. Whatever these people actually were; nazi's, white supermist or skinheads, he was without their protection now and he would be alone in the worst place to be alone in. Derek feared for his life, thinking that the black inmates would come for him one of these days. His co-worker in jail is black. After the incident he becomes his friend and you see Derek transforming thorugh this realization. When Derek does get out of jail he thanks his friend for keeping him alive.
When Derek comes out jail the first thing he wants to do is to confront his old friend that organized the hate group. When he does, he knocks him out. Derek has made a realization that this whole hate is not good for anything and this man who he thought was his friend is a two-face liar letting two kids go to jail for his crimes. When Danny finds out of what Derek has to explain his actions to his brother and he tells him everything that he encountered while in jail.
There are two more powerful scenes that make the ending to the film. When Derek and Danny get back home they tear down all the nazi pictures and flags and they throw it all out. The next scene comes up when Danny gets to school. He is shot six times in the bathroom by another teen that he had a confrontation with before. The confrontation was nothing big and it exactly points out what kind of senseless violence and pure hatred still goes on in America.
The film has nice ending with Danny reading his paper about his brother that he was asked to write by the same teacher that visited Derek while in jail. Another style effect that I found fitting was black and white color that was used whenever a look back to the past was made. And anything that happened in the present was in color.
This movie is one of the best movies for its originality with dealing with racism, ignorance and prejudice. This film at the least has made people think about the truth of our society. As we live together in the 21st century can we get along, can we get rid of prejudice and hatred as it is shown in this movie. Is racism something that has existed since the beginning of man kind and if so could it be stopped. What kind of a program could we do on such wide scale, then I guess someone did try to do that, the director of American History X. I know at the least it has made people think. People can easily identify with this film it seems so real and it's so powerful, that you think you've just witnessed a lot if it right in front of you and not on a screen. American History X provided the viewer with a hard-hitting, no holds barred drama and a look at, how in this story prejudice began and where it lead.
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Summary: American History........X
Review: Yes, this film was extremely controversial. Yes, this film is graphic. I cannot understand how anyone does not like this movie. Norton is one of my all time favorite actors and his performance as the rehabilitated Derek Vinyard, only bolsters my respect for him. I suppose that's what a degree in history from Yale gets you----two Oscar nominations, great scripts (Primal Fear/Fight Club, anyone?!?!), and a lot of respect. This movie tells it like it is. It's brutally honest, it's emotional, and hopefully, when you see this movie, you will walk away having learned something. As Daniel Vinyard says, "Hate is Baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it". Well....let me tell you.....it's definitely worth it to see this movie. I can't believe Norton lost this Oscar to Roberto Benini. Life Is Beautiful was good, but it can in no way compete with American History X. Fantastic movie. See It.
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