Absolutely Outstanding

Rating: Null/10 (12 June 2002)

American History X is certainly one hell of a movie! The plot centres around two brothers, Derek and Danny, (played respectively by Edward Norton and Edward Furlong), and the racial hatred they have inherited from their dead father. Derek is a member of a violent Neo-Nazi gang, and is eventually jailed for the murder of a black man, and whilst he is in prison Danny decides to follow in his brother's footsteps, much to the dismay of the rest of his family.
As you would imagine, American History X is a powerful and often brutal piece of drama, brilliantly written and directed and beautifully shot in both colour and black and white. There are some extremely violent scenes that can make this a hard movie to watch, but the violence is always relevant and never gratuitous.
However, the best thing about this film has to be the acting. Edward Norton is one of my favourite actors and I thought he was brilliant in Fight Club, but here he really excels himself. His performance is absolutely fantastic and the way he plays Derek as a frighteningly intelligent thug is sheer genius. As many people here have said, he was certainly robbed of an Academy Award which he thoroughly deserved to win. Although this is Norton's movie, the rest of the cast are also excellent, especially Beverly D'Angelo as Derek and Danny's careworn and despairing mother.
I would highly recommend this film to anyone, as it really is an absolutely outstanding piece of cinema that will certainly not disappoint. By the end you will be exhausted, shocked and emotionally drained - but believe me, it's worth it. American History X is a must-see movie.