A Powerful History Lesson For Us ALL !!!

Rating: 9/10 (13 April 1999)

The third best film of 1998 is a tenacious, overwhelming depiction of hate for no reason and stupidity that is learned. Everybody should see this picture, no matter how old, or what color, race, or creed. AMERICAN HISTORY X is not profound, is not symbolic, and does not have a hero who lets us know at the end that this is all wrong. In fact, Ed Norton is quite the anti-hero, even after release from prison. You see he killed two African-Americans who were robbing his car on his own property. It was certainly NOT self-defense.
AMERICAN HISTORY X is a message movie, no doubt about it. But the message is not told in words or speeches by the actors. Experiences tell the story of some very small-minded people who believe they have the temerity to "rid" a portion of California of "unwanted, inferior races." A racial basketball game punches what the opening sequence pulled off right home. Norton is a 'lieutenant' in the D.O.C., a neo-Nazi organization. He is the leader while a sinister Stacey Keach recruits and brainwashes from a headquarters somewhere in the city (Venice Beach, CA). If the whites win, the blacks must leave the court, forever. I can only imagine the cheers or jeers this scene brought about in audiences who saw the picture during its brief theater run. In fact, it was probably in the public's best interest not to keep it out too long. This is sad, but a point is presented here. Smart, open-minded people will see the senselessness of it all and see racism for what it is: sheer stupidity and ignorance.
The film is presented in an interesting narrative method, with flashbacks in black and white before Norton's incarceration. After his release, we see in living, breathing color the scary gangland that is the racial atmosphere in this section of Cali. The tragedy of it all is Norton's little brother, played by Edward Furlong (TERMINATOR II), who is clearly headed down the same swasticized path Norton went down. In prison, Norton's status in the neo-Nazi underworld was heightened to God-like and Furlong, young and impressionable, looks to carry the torch. Throughout, we see scenes of demeaning race relations and brutal dialogue and ideas put forth blatantly by the skinheads. Ed Norton, one of the best actors of his generation, bulked up considerably to look the part of the sick skinhead, but after some waking up in jail, he has had enough.
Rumors spread rampantly that Norton and director Tony Kaye fought while filming and that a disagreement ensued. Whoever's "vision" won out is the correct one, because this film never steps wrong. It may be headed down a predictable path, but there are multiple ways this picture could end. Doom and tragedy are in the air and you just know someone is going to die for no other reason than learned racism and philosophy on different creeds. It's a shame that the ideas come from someone who should've been the most responsible person in these kid's lives. He was incapable of shielding them from these idiotic thoughts of single-minded bigotry. Catholics, Jews, Prodestines, African-Americans, and most importantly, skinhead Nazis should see this important work of art and think about the shame of it all.
RATING: 10 of 10