Movie #57: American History X

Movie #: 57
Movie Title: American History X
Year Released: 1998

Director: Tony Kaye
Notable Cast: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Fairuza Balk, Stacy Keach, Elliott Gould, Avery Brooks, Beverly D'Angelo, Ethan Suplee

Short Description: A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #34
Ranker.com: #75
Lifed.com: #46
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #31
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 8/26/2016

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)

Rationale: The subject matter of white supremacy is never easy to tackle, but American History X does so in a way that makes it impossible to not watch. Edward Norton thoroughly compelling as Derek Vinyard, a former white supremacist who's learned the error of his ways through serving time and reflection and tries to prevent his brother, Danny, from making the same mistakes. I do agree with one particular critic review I read stating Derek's change in character isn't as fleshed out as it could have been and more reasoning should have been given for his transformation, but it was still fairly solid. My only criticism is during the bathroom scene at the end of the movie Edward Norton either could have tried harder to convey sadness or conveying sadness isn't his strong suit if he was really trying.