The journey of one white supremacists through some life-changing events and the impact they have on his life and those around him.

Rating: 8/10 (10 September 2012)

American History X is a film that brings out the ugly side of prejudice and white supremacy. The name of the film comes from Danny's principal who asks him to write a paper on his brother Derek's lifestyle as a white supremacist. Derek is the gang leader of the supremacist group in his town and always seems proud to show off the swastika tattoo on his chest.
I believe the theme of this film is how racism and white supremacy affect a society and how people can change their views by learning more about one another. For Derek, this change does not come easy, and as you find out at the end of the film, it does not come in time either.
In the beginning of the film you see Derek killing several colored men who are breaking into his vehicle in the middle of the night. Derek is arrested and forced to serve time in prison. There he quickly finds others that believe and follow the white supremacy beliefs. He believes this group can help protect him from the black and Hispanic prisoners. He later finds out that this group is actually "paying" a colored group to keep them safe and he decides he does not want anything to do with them. The white group feels betrayed by him and becomes even more furious when he begins chatting with a colored man. This man is Lamont, who Derek works in the laundry room with at the prison. The white group ends up raping Derek the shower room. This is a real turning point for Derek as he is shamed by his own kind. He realizes the white supremacy beliefs are not the way he wants to continue to live his life.
Derek ends up leaving jail as a new man, with new beliefs, but in the same world as he left it. He sees his brother, Danny, following in his footsteps and treating the colored folks in town the same way he used to. Derek is finally able to change his brother's views after he shares all he experienced in prison. Unfortunately, it is too late as Danny is shot at the end of the movie by a colored man in a restroom.
One film American History X reminds me of is Once Upon a Time in America. This film is similar in the fact that a ganger is forced to return to an old life he had years ago and deal with the issues he left behind. This is similar to what Derek went through upon his release from jail.
A couple of film techniques stood out to me while viewing this film. The first was black and white vs. color. The film was shot in color with the exception of many scenes which flashed back to different times in Derek's life. All of the bad memories were done in black and white, but the one happy scene at the end remained in color. This one flashback in color was of Derek and Danny running on the beach playing as young boys. The use of black and white in this film makes all the bad memories on Derek's life stand out.
The other notable technique used in this film was the use of symbols. The large swastika tattooed on Derek's chest was a mark of white supremacy. This was shown in many scenes throughout the movie when he wanted to show the world his position on racism. At the end of the film, after he has changed his views, you see him touching and looking at it like he wants to get rid of it.
I thought American History X was a great movie. It tackled the hard issues of racism and hatred and showed how people can change their thoughts when they get to really know each other.