An analytical perspective on American History X

Rating: 10/10 (6 August 1999)

One knows America is problematic when one of its heads of state publicly denies the act of the Holocaust, one of the greatest tragedies of human existence. In "American History X," one can deny that it existed, but one cannot deny the true hatred that is planted in each of us.
The film revolves around Edward Norton, a NeoNazi who runs a group of hatred-filled white boys into looting and pillaging. After committing murder himself, he is locked into prison. His brother, Edward Furlong (in a great performance,) begins to follow in his footsteps, with the same friends and leaders his older brother had being held up in high regard. Once out of prison, Norton must turn his brother away from this path before it kills his whole family.
As usual, Norton is spellbinding, and incredible to watch. From watching the pure hatred in his eyes when he kills to the desperation and tears when he needs help, he is utterly convincing always, and provides a character one cannot help but latch onto.
Edward Furlong gives what I think to be the best performance of his career, downplayed and subtle, as the younger brother. He is best displayed at his callous disregard for his African-American peers, and then at his racist slander with Ethan Suplee. His character, often a silent observer, is wonderfully enacted by this young man who, if he continues along this road, could easily be another star when he gets older.
To me, Beverly D'Angelo and Ethan Suplee are the wife from National Lampoon and the 3D-picture-watcher from Mallrats, respectively. When I saw them in the cast list, I let out a chuckle, but both gave stark portrayals: D'Angelo is at her peak when she screams, "I'm embarrassed you came out of my body!", and Suplee almost makes "The White Man Marches On" amusing to watch if not for its highly disturbing slander.
A Fairuza Balk fan, I was pleased to see her in it, though I think her part could have been bigger. More impact could have been given to her still-racist comments to Norton upon his release, but she was, of course, a pleasure to watch.
Avery Brooks was captivating as the role I knew there would have to be: the highly-intelligent, role-model black man. It was all too obvious this part would come up, and luckily it was well-done. Elliot Gould's part, while small, was great to watch as a Jewish man whose girlfriend's son, Norton, razes him with anti-semetic comments.
However, all of this would be useless without the intricacies of the plot. I found myself nearly agreeing with what Norton and William Russ (in a brief but truly disturbing performance) was saying to some point about hate crimes and affirmative action, even what they were saying about Rodney King. But the point of the movie is that, to quote Edward Furlong, "Hate is baggage." One can be filled with hate, but to extend it to such proportions is useless and degrading to us all. It is a downer, yes, but one that should be seen by all, if only to make some people see exactly how this impacts everyone. The violence, though much vaunted, isn't that much at all compared to most movies these days with much lower AMA ratings.
And yes, I am a white man. I am also half-Hispanic. And I found myself both relating to and recoiling from every word and action from every race and gender. No one is right, and no one is wrong. Go out and rent it. Your brain will thank you.