Didn't really impress me

Rating: 6/10 (13 January 2013)

It's a bit tough for me to review this one. Some of my friends said it's one of the best movies out there, a true classic. So I gave it a try and in the end it left me a little unimpressed.
I don't have much to say about it because it failed to truly captivate me with its story and characters. The main theme is racism, but I didn't feel this movie explored it in a completely satisfying way, or at least in a way I haven't seen before. The story was pretty simple: the guy is a delinquent (Neo-Nazi), we see his life, he goes to prison, gets some kind of a realization after bonding with a black man, decides that his past lifestyle was wrong and becomes a better man after he's released from prison.
At some points of the movie, I felt that the actions by some characters weren't appropriate or literally came out of nowhere with no build up like Derek murdering people in the middle of the street. And the moment at which film didn't do well was the most important one - the scene in which Derek realizes the consequences of his actions, how bad of a person he was and how little he devoted himself to his family. It just left me unsatisfied. It wasn't captured very well. The events that were supposed to lead him to this point lacked a bit in the execution department. The script left much to be desired here.
With that said, this is not a bad movie. There are some great performances here. Norton and Furlong did a particularly great job. Danny's tragic fate also offers something to think about. However, the shortcomings of script and execution prevent it from being truly great. As it stands, it's just an OK film with an obvious message - racism is bad, don't be a delinquent.