American History X has definitely been made into a classic.

Rating: Null/10 (4 August 2011)

American History X is a 1998 American drama film directed by Tony Kaye and starring Edward Norton as Derek Vinyard and Edward Furlong as Daniel "Danny" Vinyard. This film tells the story of 2 brothers that lost their father who was murdered by a black drug dealer while trying to put out a fire in Los Angeles. Along with his father's strong hatred towards the black community, this draws Derek into the neo-Nazi movement. Derek ends up being sentenced to three years in prison for killing to black men that were trying to break into his truck. While in prison, after certain events and insights, Derek has an enormous change of attitude by the time he is released. On the other hand, Danny is being pushed more and more towards the white supremacist community and is slowly walking into the footsteps of his older brother.
The main theme throughout the film is hatred and violence toward another race as a result of extreme racism. It all started from an early scene when the boys' father is expressing why he feels certain people (i.e. black people) of minority groups get their job. This is where most of the hostility begins with Derek and Danny; this only intensifies even more when their father is killed in the line of duty. This theme is presented throughout the entire film and is inevitably brought through even to the final scene. Although I will not spoil the ending, it definitely portrays real life situations everyday that happens as a result of prejudice and racism.
Another movie with a similar theme could be the film Crash that came out in 2004. This film is about racial and social tensions in Los, Angeles between many different areas of race and ethnicity. As a result there are many scenes that consist of violence due to the differences that many of the characters have; whether it is language barriers or ignorance in knowledge of people with different backgrounds. Rather than involving just hatred towards the black community, the movie Crash involves almost every nationality and the stereotypes that go along with them.
The use of angle and lighting help with the theme and correlate with the movie to the point to where the audience can get the full effect of what they are supposed to be feeling. The story is told by Danny, the younger brother, through a paper his principal is requiring him to write called American History X. We are taken through many flashbacks that he includes in his paper during events that he can remember how Derek was before he went to prison. The black and white, during the flashbacks, not only add the sense of a past scene but give it that extra feel of being an important time that needs to be remembered. Motifs and symbols are used frequently throughout the film and definitely coincide with the message of the movie. For example, the Mein Kampf, the posters that are shown, the tattoos, and the "skin head" image were all ideal symbols that served a valid purpose.
American History X has definitely been made into a classic. Although there are some scenes that tend to make me cringe, this movie is a must see film. Not only is it an eye opener to the violence that goes on every day, but the racial issues that are still very real. This movie has a powerful message that one person can overcome their racial beliefs and become one with people of other backgrounds. Derek starts to realize you can't blame an entire group of people for the mistake that a couple of bad apples mad. There are bad people among all of us, and believe me when I see, it's not just one race that has the people.