Rating: 
Summary: Really tells us a lot about Skin Heads
Review: This movie was brilliant. I couldn't stop watching this movie. The reason that I gave it only a four was because there was so much swearing and some UNBELIEVABLE cruel violence. Like the curb scene which you guys don't really need to know until you see the movie. But there is one part in the movie that I found was worst was when Derek was in prison but we don't need to tell you about that either.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Vs. Evil
Review: It's very hard to put into words how this movie makes me feel, because each and every time I watch it, I am swept away by how powerful and influential it is. Bigotry is an ever-growing boorishness in our society and young Americans are easily induced into believing that one sex or one race is better than the other. It is scary to think that one man alone can be responsible for such wide-spread hatred, but this movie only proves that you need but a few people of similar thinking to spread the word and build your biased militia. The story is told through the eyes of Derek Vinyard's younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong), an impressionable adolescent who idolizes his brother's power of persuasion and blindly consigns to his discriminatory views. Derek (Edward Norton) has reasonable predisposed opinions of African-Americans: his firefighting father was murdered by one of them while sousing a blaze in an impoverished quarter of Venice Beach, California. From the immediate point of this personal tragedy, his vocation is to spread the belief that foreigners and ethnics are given more rights than hard-working, white Protestants and the solution is now in the hands of the victims: themselves. Thus under the headship of well-known white supremacist Cameron Alexander, Derek builds his legion of racist devotees, deftly christening his growing gang of disillusioned teens the "D.O.C.". The consequences of these beliefs take a powerful impact on his family when he guns down two Crips trying to steal his truck and is incarcerated for three years. During this time, his fledgling organization continues cultivating under the supervision of Cameron whilst Danny is swallowed into the chaos and adheres to Derek's corrupt ideals. Through his junket in a maximum-security prison, his fellow inmate in the laundry happens to be a young black man interned for a false charge of assault. He breaks down the towering wall of stereotypes that surround his race, making Derek realize his beliefs were largely askew and that he had dissapatedly influenced many innocent people, more importantly his brother. As soon as he is paroled, he is on a mission to sway Danny from the neo-Nazi crew that he himself formulated and to unlearn the harmful ethics he so vigorously preached. This proves to be a difficult task as Danny has been completely conditioned by the fascist agenda of the D.O.C., posing a grueling solution: Derek must confront Cameron and confess to Danny the agonizing incident that induced his miraculous epiphany behind bars. Edward Furlong is excellent here, showing there is a deeper acting power lurking in him than such flops as "Brainscan", "Detroit Rock City" and "Pet Sematary II". He plays his character with impressive range and doesn't inflate Danny's Nazi disposition to a ridiculous degree and balances his emotional outbursts to an acceptable median. Beverly D'Angelo and newcomer Jennifer Lien turn in top-notch performances as Derek's distraught mother Doris and his educated, fiercely liberal sibling Davina. I have to say I was surprised to see Ethan Suplee as Derek's narrow-minded companion Seth after the bawling dimwit he played in Kevin Smith's critical flop "Mallrats". Some other famous faces included Stacy Keach as the indomitable Cameron Alexander, Avery Brooks as the laissez-faire counselor Bob Sweeney, and the former Mr. Streisand Eliot Gould as the Jewish boyfriend Murray. Who I was not surprised to see playing the brainwashed girlfriend Stacey is Fairuza Balk, a veteran of such bizarre films as "Return To Oz", "The Island Of Dr. Moreau" and "The Craft". She definetely fits the character description with her willingness to buzz her raven locks and wear unattractive appliques to the most noticeable parts of her face. She's one in a million, and I have to say she was wonderful. Who really turns this film and its audience upside down is Edward Norton. A colossal performance anchoring this recycled theme, Edward brings the stereotypical skinhead to life with horrifying realism, pushing the limits with Derek's loutish temperament and blissful ignorance. He spews the Nazi-esque propaganda with nary a flaw or pause, his powerful preaching frightening convincing at times. I found myself nodding my head in agreement in the scene where he complained about "border jumpers" vying for American jobs and the citizens of our country receiving inadequate support in their growing poverty because of invading foreigners. I thought how incredible it was that I had been swayed as easily as his audience of teenagers on these issues, but not on others (believing I am supreme because I'm a Catholic Caucasian). This is a sign of an amazing writer, one who harbors an autocratic power that is channeled through this mesmerizing and credible character. Tony Kaye's artistic brilliance lent this film an emotive and metaphorical leg, curbing the abhorrent pretense with ingenious merit and poetic essence. The black and white segments are purposely applied to convey the mindset of its protaganist. The film finishes with the full-color portions of the beach, suggesting to the audience that everyone (characters and viewers) is illuminated as a result. Many complained that this artsy approach hampered the grisly subject matter, but I think it balanced a delicate scale of mindless violence by reintroducing humanity with our fragile existences. Overall, "American History X" shows us that violence is an infinite circle that traverses far and wide but always comes back to haunt us.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible film for its story and its acting
Review: Edward Norton gives an incredible performance as Derek Vinyard, a neo-Nazi who goes to prison for murder, and his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) who worships Derek, and who is heading along the same disturbing path. This is a beautifully photographed and wonderfully written movie that takes a very strong subject, and forms it all into a truly unique film. Norton is amazing - He has such as tremendous range as an actor that it so difficult that he also played a neurotic New Yorker in Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You. His buffed-up physique, shaved head, and goatee all make him look incredibly realistic as a Los Angeles skinhead (and worried some that skinheads would become chic). His performance is incredible, as are the standout supporting performances from Avery Brooks as the black teacher who believes in both Derek and Danny, and Stacy Keach (who seems determined to break his image as Mike Hammer) as the head white supremacist in town. First-time feature director Tony Kaye (who also served as cinematographer) directs and photographs this film beautifully, and Anne Dudley's score is one to remember. This film will make you think about racism, Neo-Nazism, politics & race, and where hate really comes from - it is passed along from parent to child.
Rating:
Summary: skin head staff
Review: when two brothers named dan and derek lose there father from a drug dealer, they blame it on the black people because his dad died from a black person, when derek th big brothr is arrested and sentenced to go to prison for killing two black people his brother who is still at school is startin to become like him and become a bad kid in school. when his brother is realised from priosn the family is back togther but the big brother decides to stop as he knows he can't just start to blame it on people and decide to leave his group of gang, if he can.
Rating:
Summary: Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!
Review: Explosive movie confronting realities of hate falls on its knees in the end... I'd like to go on praising it, but just remember the last few good reviews. This movie ain't totally PC... It actually gave a human side to the the kids seduced by Nazi ideology instead of monsterizing them. This movie breaks racial stereotypes- The scene where the fat white nazi held his pistol in black gangbanger fashion seemed implausible. Who holds their pistol like that besides Crips and Bloods? This movie confronts the realities of both the angry black and white guys with the chips on the shoulders, but somehow in the end, that liberal PhD teacher had to throw in that... you born-again anti-racist white guys have got to make a stand and fight nazism, you've got to make a difference, you owe to the world and society (for what you've done.) People think the curb scene was gruesome simply because of the nature of the murder... [spoiler] what about the end where Hollywood had to throw in the fate of Danny? A black gangbanger splatters his guts across a school bathroom. It was almost like divine punishment from the liberal gods for Danny and his brother ever being Neo-Nazis... I liked the movie, but it ended like water running down the drain. Totally nihilistic worldview... It tried to show why hate was bad and came across in the end saying people who hate (especially white males) deserve to die... We could learn something from all this PC stuff: the idealistic climate of liberal political-correctness is conducive to hate- It pits groups and races against each other. Notwithstanding my misgivings, I highly recommend this movie to all.
Rating:
Summary: Preachy but good
Review: Danny, the younger brother of Derek, tells the story. This has a good effect in the film, because his brother has convinced him that hatred is good. Danny's perspective shows how someone is forced to change his viewpoints about a belief that he thought was absolutely true. I could relate to this because there are many situations in my life where I have been forced to question assumptions that I thought were undeniably true. The black and white parts are all flashbacks. They make the point that Derek's earlier attitudes were "black and white", but the movie doesn't ever user that cliché. This means that Derek and Danny were blind to the different colors or variations in life. There is only one flashback that is not black and white, and that is a flashback of the brothers walking on the beach when they were a few years old. I think this is meant to show the innocence of youth, before their father introduced blind prejudice into their lives. It seems to be a shock film to show the people who are very prejudiced that their ways are wrong. However, I think that it is intended for people who like preachy films about racism. I usually don't like films that are this much of a lecture, but this film worked for me because the characterization of Danny and Derek engrossed me. Also, I could empathize with the conflicts in the movie, like their family struggles and Derek's attitude of wanting to watch out for Derek. I felt no different about race relations after watching this film. I feel that there are no inborn differences among people of different races; ergo, no prejudice from me. However, this film helped me to understand how someone could get wrapped up in a "skinhead" mentality. Also, I vicariously experienced Derek's fear when he was in prison and the group of black prisoners was about to turn on him.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling Look At The Consequences Of Racism & Hate!
Review: Anyone who thinks that the kind of fascism that led to the horrors of Europe in the 1940s "can't happen here" will appreciate the lessons all too apparent in this movie. It can happen here, and a society that abandons its youth to lives of hopelessness and impoverishment will learn the lessons of history if it doesn't do more to rectify the causes underlying such hate and discontent. This is a tough, gritty, and violent look at the complex problems associated with race, poverty, and hopelessness that pervade our inner cities and prey especially upon the young and vulnerable teens trapped by life circumstance into these kinds of confrontations. While George W. Bush waxes on so dreamily about his proposed Presidency not "leaving a single child behind", the reality of the situation is quite different; the stark economic realities of contemporary America is that more and more urban youth are being abandoned and isolated in the midst of all this unbelievable affluence for others. The movie is set up as a kind of morality play; Edward Norton is a newly ex-convict hoping to turn his life around by disassociating himself from the neo-Nazi group that led him astray into a life of hate, violence, and murder a few years before. Still, his younger brother, played well by Edward Furlong, is fascinated by the power and allure of the neo-Nazis. As the movie progresses, we become more familiar with just how it is that both brothers have become so indoctrinated by hate, and left so susceptible to the racist messages of the extremists. All of the cast, from Norton to Furlong to Eliot Gould to a host of others are excellent, and this gripping story of how easily hate, distrust, and violence beget more of the same is a sorry statement of what the not so benign neglect of the society toward its less fortunate sons and daughters can result in. This is an excellent movie and is one I highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: A movie that every human being should see.
Review: This is one of the best films I have ever seen. I don't usually get emotional during movies, but this is one of the few times that a film actually made me cry. One scene in particular: Derek (Ed Norton) is awakened at night to find two black men attemting to steal his car. He ruthlessly kills them both. The director pulls no punches whatsoever in this scene, and you feel it in your gut. This is one of the visceral movies ever made, on the same level as "Schindler's List." Though not as technically proficient as that film, it sticks with you just as much. If you can, try to see it on DVD. The deleted scenes mystify me as to why they were cut from the final film. Each one (there are three) serves, not to further the plot, but to drive the film's message home even more solidly. All in all, a difficult film to watch, but ultimately rewarding in the end, something few movies released today can say.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful movie
Review: This is a must-see movie! Insightful, powerful and best of all: unbowed to the ever-present pressure to be Politically Correct in the media. I was amazed. This is a movie that is able to show a portion of the raw realities of race and racial relations and yet leave a message about how damaging hate can be without being preachy. Norton was good in Primal Fear, but this is how I will remember him: powerful, passionate and eloquent. Rent it!
Rating:
Summary: The darker side of history
Review: This movie shows you the story about a white American who gets into racism after his father dies by the hands of some black guys. A truly must see movie.
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