American History X... Menace II Society for White Americans

Rating: Null/10 (21 December 1998)

No one seems to have mentioned the unusual parallels between films on gangsta culture and American History X. Did anyone here feel a little cheated when Edward Norton's character is walking down the street to see a large car with tinted windows heading towards him? It's an ending scene for Menace II Society but the only difference is that the culminating death scene is a jump-cut away. This movie is not particularly unique in that it does follow a tradition of recent gangsta movies such as American Me, Menace II Society, and Boyz N the Hood.
Even the homosocial narrative of men bonding with one another in the pursuit of hate and/or justice is very similar. Seth in American History X > Doughboy in Boyz N the Hood. I'm not surprised that white folks love this film for its "realism" as many blacks felt the same way about Boyz N the Hood or Menace II Society.
One does get tired of "important" movies about racial hatred ending in violence. I've come to think that the most radical thing a director can do with a film about racial hate is ending it with love or better yet, ambivalence. Ambivalence would imply a more disturbing idea -- that you CAN get away with hate and even better just keep on exercising low-level covert racism all your life. I find that that is more like "real life" in my dealings with Americans, both white and black.
This is not to suggest that the film is not important as I think it is quite well-done and I concur with others that Edward Norton should at least get a Best Actor nomination (personally, I think "Happiness" is the better film this year, though). Yet, I can only look with chagrin if Edward Norton does win since the movies I listed above had performances by equally talented actors that will probably get less recognition.