"Has anything you've done made your life better?"

Rating: 9/10 (7 January 2012)

I've seen a lot of movies and have seen a lot of violence in them - war films, Westerns, horror and even some of those slasher/gore flicks that go so way over the top. For the most part, the violence depicted is far removed from any sense of reality, because after all, it's a movie and the director can be as unrealistic as he wants to get with flying bodies, severed limbs and the like. However the curb stomp by Edward Norton's character on the black hood in the street was probably as visceral an experience that one can get from simply watching the event on screen. I think that comes from internalizing the impact such a trauma can have if it was personally done to you. It's a little hard to put into words, but I hope you can catch my meaning.
What I think the film does effectively is show how a hardened racist like Derek Vinyard (Norton) can slowly come to terms with his prejudices when forced to confront them in a restricted environment. Not only is Derek influenced by his co-worker Lamont (Guy Torry) in the laundry, but also the hypocrisy of the segregated racial groups in the prison yard who break those boundaries for self expediency and personal profit. It's also noteworthy to remark on the character of Cameron Alexander (Stacy Keach), who foments racism and violence from a safe distance, never forcing a confrontation for himself, but only through surrogates like Derek and Seth (Ethan Suple).
If the film does anything, it should help instruct the viewer to rely on one's own life and experiences to see the humanity and good in all people, regardless of race or ethnic background. I'll never understand why racists and haters focus on what's 'different' about others instead of seeing what makes all people the 'same' - a desire to amount to something, be part of a family and have a sense of belonging to a larger community of mankind.