Edward Norton was robbed!

Rating: Null/10 (24 March 2001)

This movie stays with you...which is both a good and bad thing. Personally, I had to rewind it and watch it again immediately after it finished. I really wish I could have seen this in the movie theatre, but I hardly even remember it being out. (Why it didn't do better is beyond me.) This is one of the few movies that I've ever rented that kept me literally glued to the TV. It's rare that a movie is capable of bringing up so many emotions--disgust, fear, awe, laughter. Since that first viewing, I've watched this movie numerous times. Here are my thoughts:
Edward Norton is THE best actor in the business. He's like a chameleon, hardly even recognizable from role to role. His screen presence is amazing as Derek Vinyard. He absolutely should have won the Academy Award for this performance. He is mesmerizing! (Yeah, I'm a big fan.)
The most violent scene I have ever seen in my life is in this movie. Forget Reservoir Dogs, Braveheart, The Cell, etc. You'll know it when you get to it, and I still can hardly even watch it. It makes me nauseous.
Minor spoilers ahead!!
There are two scenes in this movie that completely stick out in my mind. The first is the dinner table scene where they are discussing Rodney King. The dialogue is stellar between Norton, Gould, and D'Angelo. D'Angelo gets kudos for the 2nd best line in the movie: "I can't believe that you came out of my body." The reason this scene is so good is because it feels so real, and you leave it feeling absolutely disgusted. The second scene is the scene immediately following the shower rape scene between Norton and Brooks. This scene has the best line in the movie: "Has anything you've done made your life any better?" No matter how many times I see this movie, that line never feels to stir up emotions inside of me. Yes, this movie is about skinheads, but that line applies to all of us, I think.
End of spoilers!
This is one of my all time top five movies. I can still watch it over and over again. I think that everyone needs to see it at least once. The overwhelming thought that hits me every time I watch it is "I can't believe that there are people in the world who are actually like this." There are, and I find that very sad.
Please don't miss this one! Be forewarned, it is violent, has bad language, and is painful to watch at times. (For subject matter, not topic.) But it is an excellent movie.