More than you know

Rating: 9/10 (23 May 1999)

American History X wasn't as great as it could've been, but it was still amazing on another level. You see the transformation of Derek (as played by Edward Norton) from a good kid, to a racist, back to a decent guy, then you're left hanging.....wondering if he's going to go back to being a racist because of what happens to his brother. The fact that this movie makes you think and doesn't just let you off the hook by explaining everything is admirable.
Personally, I think Edward Norton is the best actor in Hollywood today. Deniro, Pacino, Nicholson, Hoffman.....they're basically starting to turn in the same performances while Norton is constantly treading new ground. In real life he may have attended Yale, and then there's his boyish roles in Primal Fear and Everyone Says I love You....But as the movie progressed I forgot about all that

Speaking of good performances, I have to recognize Beverly D'Angelo. She's come a long way from the nagging Ellen Griswold of the Vacation movies. I wonder why she wasn't nominated for an Academy award for her turn as the tortured mother of derek and danny (edward norton), because she deserved it.