White supremacist Derek Vinyard is being released 3 years after killing two black men who were breaking into his car. His rhetoric, which he learned from neo Nazi Cameron Alexander has now been passed onto his younger brother Danny.
Rehabilitated, he vows to leave the world he once knew behind, but can he pass on his new world views to Danny before its too late for him?
Direction
Then music video director Tony Kaye directs, and despite his historic disowning of the film, it is breathtaking with the use of colour/black and white in the different timelines within the film.
All the “present day” scenes are in colour – Danny’s moments with Sweeney and Alexander, etc – and all of the “past events” flashbacks etc are in black and white.
Cast/Characters
Edward Norton plays Derek. This is without a doubt the best performance of his career, and that is including Fight Club, which would be released the following year. (However I have yet to see all of his work, so I’m happy to be called wrong here – please let me know in the comments if you’ve seen better work of his).
Edward Furlong plays Danny, and this too is his best work. I hope he gets a career resurgence one day, because the guy seems to deserve good things. He has some narration moments throughout the film, which were a little inconsistent. The were just dropped in randomly.
Important co stars and their characters are; Avery Brooks as Sweeney, Stacy Keach as Alexander and Beverley D’Angelo as Danny and Derek’s mother Doris.
Other prominent cast are Fairuza Balk as Dereks pre jail and neo Nazi girlfriend, Ethan Suplee as one of his best friends prior to his incarceration and Elliot Gould as one of the teachers at Danny’s school, and Doris’ ex partner.
D’Angelo and Gould who my generation mostly know for their comedic abilities are sensational, especially D’Angelo who gets two stunning moments with Derek – once at a family dinner scene (along with Gould), and the other when she visits Derek in prison.
Breakdown
I will start by saying the subject matter of the film was intense, and credit should be given to the performers for making the hatred they seem to have so believable.
There is great use of non linear narrative, with a good bulk of the film fixated on showing the past; Derek’s years long involvement with the D.O.C (Disciples of Cameron), his relationships with those around him – his mother, brother, sister Davina, girlfriend Stacey, best friend Seth and of course Cameron.
This all culminates in the brutal slaying of the two men trying to break into his car (and one of the most brutal deaths seen on film, which is very hard to watch). In prison, he finds more of his own ‘people’ but he over time befriends an African American man – who shows him how his ideology has been manipulated to a racist way of thinking. Then after being left near dead by his own people, he reaches out for the one person who he thinks can help; Sweeney.
Sweeney almost has a father type role for Derek, and even tries with Danny as their father died years ago (and was one of the primary conception of where their racist ideas come from).
The “present” day events all happen within a 24 hour time – with Danny being released from prison, and Derek having his own moments with Sweeney – beginning history lessons he dubs “American History X”.
With one of the bleakest endings that I can remember, the racial issues that exist in this film still (from an outsider to America) seem to exist today. It has been over 25 years since its release, and from what the news shows, things are possibly worse now than they were back then?
The score, by Anne Dudley is simply breathtaking. It is almost as if it does not belong to a film like this with powerful ballad moments within scenes like the basketball game, the store robbery and the renouncing of “Nazi” ism).
Overall
Very little to complain about here. Give this one a watch, but it has very strong themes, and incredibly coarse language – so it is not for the faint of heart.
A near perfect film.
4.5/5
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