Well meaning but poorly made

Rating: 4/10 (14 April 1999)

There's been a lot to do about nothing when it comes to this film. While watching it I was struck by the preachy nature of the film. Like I was watching an old high school film about racism and hate. The film is extremely cliched and, at times, simply formulaic with a stapled on ending which tries to add an ironic nature to the film but only ends up causing the film to suffer from the old Hollywood adage of "serious films have sad endings".
The most blatant example of the poor story telling is when Derek is in prison and he realizes that black people simply aren't evil. The way in which this comes about is scriptwriting at it's worst. There was much to do about the directing but the film is filled, once again, with poor work. Kaye was said to have done his own camera work on cinematography. It's obvious that professionals should have been used. The only saving grace is Nortons fine acting which is lost among the many flaws of the film. Better films about racism and hate have been made. Skip this one.