A heartbreaking masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (14 December 2010)

American History X is to me among the ten best movies of the last two decades-if not of all time.It is about an ex neo-Nazi leader named Derek who is trying to make his brother Danny not follow his footsteps and ruin his life.In fact Derek was one of the biggest "names" in the Nazi communities in the west coast who hated every one apart from the white people.His hatred made him kill two black men and put him in jail for three years.
In there everything changed...After being betrayed,humiliated and raped by his Nazi "friends" in jail,he - with the help of a black guy named Lamont,who had falsely been convected for assaulting a police officer, and with the help of his ex teacher who wanted to help both him and his brother named Sweenye- changed his theory about all the racial,propagandistic and fascistic stuff.He finally got out of jail,attempted and succeeding -in a way- to get rid of his past,tried to save his brother but he did not make it...
In there everything changed...After being betrayed,humiliated and raped by his Nazi "friends" in jail,he - with the help of a black guy named Lamont,who had falsely been convected for assaulting a police officer, and with the help of his ex teacher who wanted to help both him and his brother named Sweenye- changed his theory about all the racial,propagandistic and fascistic stuff.He finally got out of jail,attempted and succeeding -in a way- to get rid of his past,tried to save his brother but he did not make it...
As well as in the real world the hatred triumphed above everything and his beloved,younger brother got killed in the restroom of his school by a black classmate of his who had obviously been brainwashed and filled up with hatred,anger and desperation just like Derek-only in there the roles were vice versa.To sum up this movie manages to "touch" one of the most controversial and difficult issues of all time without destroying it.It is violent,cruel yet honest and very,very touching."Hatred is a baggage" and "Life is to short to be p*ssed off all the time" must be taken into consideration by each and everyone in this planet...