A good movie with one great performance.

Rating: 7/10 (15 February 2006)

Racism is a hot-button issue that many people wish would go away. It's like the proverbial pink elephant in a small room: no one wants to acknowledge it, but it's there.
There's no denying that American History X is a well-intentioned drama and at its center is the exciting and charismatic performance by Edward Norton. It could have been a great movie but there were one major flaw that made the movie just a better-than-average movie.
My main issue with the film involves Norton's younger brother. It did not help that Edward Furlong gave a very poor performance. Perhaps because he was not on the same acting level as Norton, Furlong was unconvincing. Sadly, I really did not care about the fate of Furlong's character. If there was a better actor in that role, it might have changed my feelings about the movie.
I certainly understand why American History X has an effect on many moviegoers. It is very professional piece of work and it does tackle the paradoxical nature of race. It could have been a great movie on the same level as Do The Right Thing. American History X is a good movie with one standout performance.