UNDERRATED

Rating: 10/10 (26 July 1999)

I think this film has been severely underrated by critics who say that the film's only merit is Edward Norton's masterful performance. American History X is so much more than that. I would venture to call this film a masterpiece, certainly one of my favorites and the best movie of 1998, along with Saving Private Ryan. The film is very well-crafted and the flashbacks are poignant as well as powerful in showing how the events surrounding one person can affect so many people around him. I tended to forget that the flashbacks were in black-and-white since the images stayed with me long after watching the film. Also, this is one of those films where repeated viewings enhances the pleasure. At first viewing, it is hard to understand the importance or effect of the flashbacks, but after the second viewing the story fits in perfectly. Director Tony Kaye was so displeased with the finished project (his first film, have you) that he attempted to give the director's credit in an alias, (which I think was Humpty Dumpty). Anyway, if this is what he considers an embarrassment then I am very interested in seeing some of his future works. And by the way, Stanley Kubrick, whom Kaye reportedly compared himself to, also disowned his first feature film. And as for the cynics who say that the ending is a misfire, I think it is brilliant. It leaves so many questions opened; Will Derek return to hate? Will his family ever recover? Who is to blame for the problems in society? These questions really remind me of Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. I am eagerly awaiting Tony Kaye's future projects, but I guess he won't make another film for about 5 or six years.