One of the most powerful movies/drama ever made - but flaws remain

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 1999)

American History X has got a combination of great script writing and acting which when combined bring out an incredible drama that proves that anyone can be manipulated into certain ideas and dogmas. When Edward Norton talks from the racist view point there seems to be some truth to what he is saying. This is what makes him really dangerous as he inspires others to have the same attitude towards other people.
There were a number of faults in this movie that prevented it from classic status, but it is worth seeing it for the qualities I have already mentioned. 1) At the start of the movie I felt that Norton was somewhat justified to harm and get angry about two black youths stealing from him. He was protecting HIS property, this scene could and should have been different if the movie was trying to convey that violence is wrong and unjustified. 2) The prison scene did not convince me that Norton had converted to a different way of thinking. The prison scene was a great opportunity for character development of both Norton and the other inmates that influenced him. This movie failed in this department which as it turns out was fundamental to the whole story. 3) The ending scene it can mean violence leads to more violence is a cliche I have heard in thousands of other movies including Boyz in the Hood. The movie was much more than a black and white issues as another alternative view of the movie's ending could imply. The movie was not simply about hatred, rather emancipating a person through understanding another person's point of view. Yet the movie ended in cliche and violence. This is not totally a bad thing as it would move some people to think about their actions and consequences, but fails to push the debate along from what other related movies have achieved. Tough not as good or clever as Life is Beautiful (La Vita E Bella), both deal with hatred and intolerance and are well both worth seeing for the acting and script alone. American History X 9/10