How to ruin a good movie

Rating: 7/10 (30 November 2009)

Why can't we have good things?
Easy: because every Hollywood movie MUST be, or become, preachy and cheesy at one point or another...
AHX had potential, and lots of it. Edward Norton once again delivers a great performance, and the whole cast is above average too.
The story, as it unfolds, is interesting and intriguing. Even the somewhat stereotyped "nazis" work quite well in the general flow of the movie. All in all the story holds up quite well until Derek comes home from jail.
There it is: our turning point: the movie quickly becomes painfully predictable: thanks to a rape in the showers, to a clichéd "friendly African-American inmate unjustly convicted" and to his old professor's (African-American himself too...) Derek suddenly sees the light and turns his back to his old friends and ideals.
Of course Derek's redemption has a huge influence on his younger brother Danny, but sadly his fate is written already...
Essentially American History X is a movie of two halves: the first part is enjoyable and outstanding, despite some predictable twists. The second part is preachy and even more predictable, so the redemption-through-death ending doesn't come as a surprise, but more like as a consequence.
To be honest, the whole movie is filled with clichés and stereotypes: Derek's dad is the typical narrow-minded WASP, the White Power guys are complete morons with zero depth (which might be realistic, but come on... show some imagination). The positive characters are African-American, and of course we can't go without the token Jewish character and the liberal one getting unfairly abused.
Even disregarding that aspect, Derek seems to joins and leaves the White Power crusade too abruptly and with little-to-none inner labour.
THAT, much more than the cheesy and predictable twists, is the most disappointing aspect of a movie which could and should have been more complex.
But, as said, the movie industry is manichean: things are either good or bad, black or white. Layers of grey aren't welcome.