Let's not get carried away over this mediocre film

Rating: 5/10 (9 September 2001)

This is the story of a white supremacist who changes his ways when someone points out to him that all his campaigning only served to make his life even worse than it had been before. Well, yes. He's in prison. Other people at other times have been put in prison for waging battles they believed to be just; sometimes, the battles WERE just. We wouldn't have wanted Hitler's opponents, for instance, to give up and go with the flow, just because that would have made their lives easier - would we?
Moreover, Danny's racism had intellectual grounds. When he goes into his rants he offers reasons - honest to goodness reasons - why others should believe what he believes. Does anyone ever offer him or us opposing reasons? Not that I noticed; instead, they look at him as they'd look at someone who spoke out of turn in church. Those who agree with Danny will feel cheated, with reason; those who disagree will (or ought) feel even more cheated, with even greater reason.
I haven't given you the full story. While he's in prison, Danny actually MEETS a black man, for the first time in his life. He changes his mind partly because he learns something, which is what prevents the film from being infuriating. As drama, it's distinctly so so. The characters are worth knowing, listening to, and following - even if the conclusion is an unmotivated cheat.
Smack in the middle of Ordinary Road, that's where this film is. I suspect it found its way onto the IMDb top 250 list not because anyone really loved it, but because nobody really disliked it.