One of the worst films in recent memory

Rating: 1/10 (20 January 2000)

It's rare that I turn down an opportunity to see a film for free. It's even more rare that I regret having done so. American History X was so strikingly bad though that I'm considering an attempt to sue for my wasted time. :-)
The Plot: Give the audience some credit! American History X was painfully heavy-handed. The word, "Duh," sprang to mind (and often mouth) every few seconds. Challenge us...make us thing...leave some loose ends. Ed Furlong's 18-hour redemption plan? Please!
The Cinematography: I don't know who's to blame; my guess is Tony Kaye. How could something smack of pretension and look like an MTV show? Cut, pan, cut, pan, slow-mo, black-and-white. The camera work is symbolic of the film. Kaye never visually engages the characters and perhaps that's part of the reason that AHX is so ineffectual.
Ed Norton did what he could with a weak script and a poor director. Unfortunately, the most impressive thing about the movie was the way Norton changed his body for the role. Tony Kaye (understandly) tried to remove his name from this "opus" and claimed that Norton was responsible for the editing. If that's true, let's hope Ed Norton sticks to acting and Tony Kaye goes back to music videos.