What Has America Come To?

Rating: 9/10 (20 February 2009)

American History X is definitely a film that will make the question come to mind. Just what has America come to? When your children can be so easily manipulated by stereotypes from others, and the media, and then turn that manipulation into a full blown belief, you just know that something is wrong.
Edward Norton delivers a phenomenal role as Derek Vinyard, a young Venice Beach resident who transforms into a heartless and ruthless skinhead after his racist father is killed by a black man while trying to put out a fire in South Central Los Angeles.
Edward Norton, while not regularly taking a villainous role, truly comes across as an nonnegotiable force of prejudiced evil in this film, even adorned with a memorable and gigantic swastika tattoo on his chest. Joining the misled youth during his tirade of hatred is the long lost Stacy Keach from M.A.S.H. as his white supremacist mentor, Cameron Alexander, who could very well become Venice Beach's own version of Adolf Hitler, a sly and evil man who uses his words and connections to reach out to frustrated youths, and rally them to his pure Nazi-esquire campaign.
Also joining the pure white army is "My Name Is Earl"s very own Ethan Supplee as the massive and short-tempered skinhead Seth, who can't help but gnaw away at all the viewers nerves, as he takes his hatred on other white people, rather than ONLY non-whites.
Terminator 2's Edward Furlong also delivers a powerful role as Derek's impressionable younger brother Danny, who is well on his way to becoming just like his brother.
This film is highly praised in my eyes, as it displays just how destructive racism is, not only to strangers, but also to those closest to you. A truly horrific scene, that will no doubt last forever, is when a furious Edward Norton drags a wounded black gangster to the concrete curb in front of his house, and mercilessly curb stomps his skull to the ground, and then grinning innocently as he is taken away by the police, as if he has done nothing wrong.
Only until it is too late, and he is in prison, does Derek slowly realize the mistakes he has made in his life, especially after he is viciously raped in the showers by the local Aryan Brotherhood, and brought to his senses by his black former teacher.
Upon returning to the real world, Derek tries his best to try and bring the old Danny back to his family, as the new skinhead Danny is very quickly going down the same road Derek once went down. Needless to say, his former Nazi friends do NOT take Derek's change of heart well at all.
In a climactic, and earth shattering finale, Derek finally convinces Danny not to follow in his brother's footsteps, and they both decide to begin a hate-free life, but only to have Danny mercilessly gunned down in his school bathroom by a young black kid.
Truly, hatred only begets hatred, and that lesson is very vividly shown in this masterpiece. American History X is a film that is to be seen by everyone at least once. If you have a family member, or friend, who is slowly succumbing, or showing signs of prejudice or hatred towards non white people, and beginning to take Nazi-like beliefs to heart, show them this film ASAP, so they'll know not to make those mistakes.
American History X is truly a classic, and is to be respected as such.