Stuck in the middle, sort of...

Rating: Null/10 (3 March 1999)

Clearly, Edward Norton is deserving of his Oscar-nomination in "AHX". His character is smart, articulate, and so convincing it's scary. Too bad I can't say the same for the rest of the movie. Although I really enjoyed Norton's performance, this movie lacks in something called...um...plot (is this a film-making trend?). It seems to substitute dialogue for plenty of lip-smackin' violence, and it really lays the melodrama down thick. Norton's character again has two distinct faces (remember "Primal Fear"?). He turns from nice guy to mad-dog killer, to nice guy again all within a couple of years. How dramatically convenient. But I like the way "AHX" shows the hysterical racial venom of the skinheads the way that it does, and I love how Norton can create a memorable character that has the ability to give a, sort of, guilty pleasure to the audience. Not to mention he looks really hot in this movie - minus the swastika tattoo. I guess what I'm trying to say is, overall, I liked this movie. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Norton at the Oscars, but if my prediction is correct, he'll probably lose to Nick Nolte. (sigh)