X-cellent.

Rating: 10/10 (2 December 2012)

As a wise person once said (a long time ago): 'Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.' This proves all too true for Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), whose fear, frustration and rage at the murder of his father by a black gang member twists his soul, taking him not to the dark side, but to the white side—a neo-nazi gang called The Disciples of Christ—where his extremist beliefs and violent ways earn the respect of his peers, but only bring him and his family further pain and torment.
Redemption for Derek comes during a stint in prison, his three year sentence for killing two black men giving him plenty of opportunity to realise the flaws in his philosophy and the error of his ways; with help from his African-American high school teacher Mr. Sweeney (Avery Brooks), Derek achieves parole and endeavours to make amends for previous actions, rejecting his right-wing lifestyle and those who endorsed it. But will it be enough to save his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlobg) from making the same mistakes as he did?
It's kind of fitting that, for such a film—one so focused on turmoil, struggle and radical beliefs—American History X is the result of an extremely troubled background itself, director Tony Kaye attempting to disown the final film after star Ed Norton saw fit to re-cut the film against his wishes. Amazingly, somehow, the finished film bears no signs of its tumultuous past, being a nigh on perfect study of the cyclical nature of bigotry, one that powerfully drives home the futility of blind hatred.
Boasting many a brilliant performance, wonderful cinematography, smart editing throughout (Norton must've known what he was doing), and some almost poetic acts of violence, plus a powerful message at its heart, this is must-see cinema that makes the viewer think long and hard about what they have witnessed long after the shocking climax has faded from the screen.