You can't get bored

Rating: 8/10 (29 February 2016)

Recently, I saw American History X again, because I had some work to do about it and because I was very pleased with it the first time I saw it. The truth is, you can't get bored by watching it.
Without intention to challenge the fact that it is a great movie, something that can disappoint people is that some scenes are probably far too romantic and easily predictable. Theoretically, the movie claims to point the finger at racism ; it attempts to show us the conversion of the protagonist to the path of righteousness. Of course it is a noble goal, but some parts of the story look naive or even childish (Derek's conversion seems absolutely not rational for example), despite the fact that others are actually maybe not enough romantic because they tend to show us a reality which looks far away from us : hardcore violence and racism.
In this review I would like to examine the inner morality of the movie. American History X has often been accused of a "morally dangerous cinematic seduction". What the critics mean is that the film would manipulate the viewer through "glamorizing an immoral and hate- filled neo-nazi protagonist", instead of denouncing racism. All this by using cinematic effects and techniques. However, I don't think that this argument is relevant. The film, as a matter of fact, takes place in an historical context and shows Derek's life and what happens to him. Of course you will understand why he's angry, how he became who he is. Nonetheless, it doesn't mean that it justifies his ideology : it is the way that the film uses to introduce us the white supremacy groups world and the conflicts of those times. The techniques employed may allow for many viewers a degree of sympathy towards Derek, but that is actually for me an interesting point of the movie. What I mean is that we can see the story within that contested groups and this is the master card of American History X.