One of my top 10, stunning and tragic.

Rating: 10/10 (1 June 2004)

American History X is the story of a man who succumbed to hatred and his journey to redemption. Edward Norton gives the performance of his career as Derek Vinyard, a skinhead jailed for murdering two black men. When he is released from jail he tries to get away from his old life and help his brother, played by Edward Furlong, to understand what happened to him. The film covers racism from nearly every angle and really makes you think. The narrative structure is a bit twisted though, and a lot of it is just flashbacks explaining how Derek came to be a skinhead, what happened to him in jail, etc. It's interesting to see how his hatred tears apart his family and hurts those around him. The ending is like a punch to the gut, but it really sums up what the characters have learned and the consequences of their actions. Totally brilliant, required viewing. 10/10