Unforgettable Norton; powerful film

Rating: Null/10 (21 February 2003)

AMERICAN HISTORY X (1998) ***1/2 Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Stacy Keach, Avery Brooks, Fairuza Balk, Elliott Gould, William Russ. Unflinchingly brutally frank look at racism in America wnd the skinhead/neo-Nazis in particular led by a fireball, Oscar nominated performance by Norton as the eldest son of a family whose hatred beliefs turn inside out after a prison stint, and a chance to redeem himself by saving his younger, impressionable brother (Furlong) with only tragedy looming on the horizon. Graphic in depiction and no-holds barred in its ugliness, the film succeeds in making even the most sickening characters shockingly human, perhaps the film's greatest testament: giving hatred a face. Directed by Tony Kaye (who also did a superb job as cinematographer), the film became mired in controversy when Kaye wanted to remove his name from the film when the studio stepped in to make some cuts.