A film that continues to speak volumes to old and contemporary America

Rating: 9/10 (29 September 2018)

This film is one that I would recommend to all, as it is just too important to ignore.
Racism, in all its disgusting and repulsive forms, is what built the United States, and it has unfortunately been ingrained into its fabric ever since, hovering over the country and continuing to derail its progress. Despite the progress the country has made in regards to annexing racism, it is still very much alive. This theme is very important to the film, as hate is passed down from generation to generation, in this case from the character of Derek Vinyard's father to Derek himself and ultimately to his brother, Danny.
The performance of Edward Norton and his transition from an angry and hateful human being to one of remorse and love for his family is impeccable. His character understands the pain he has inflicted on his family due to his beliefs of hate and tribalism, and that is a very positive message to movie goers; the more you become desensitized to what minorities go through in this country and the more you hate, the more your life will crumble. It is tragic to see the impact Derek has had on his family, more importantly his brother, which ends up being very detrimental at the end of the film.
One of the most moving scenes in the film is when Dr Sweeney visits Derek in prison, shortly after Derek has been raped by some of his fellow inmates. Derek is coming around now at this time about the errors of his ways, and Sweeney tells him, "You have to ask yourself, Derek, has any of this, any of your actions and your racist beliefs, made your life better?" Derek immediately responds "No" and begins to sob. Just a beautiful scene.
One issue I had with the film was how Danny, the younger brother of Derek, was so quick to realize the error of his ways, his thoughts. It just wasn't believable, from having been so upset with Derek one minute upon learning he didn't buy into racist propaganda to the next second tearing down the racist posters in his room. You would think it would take a whole lot more for him to change his thinking, based upon Derek's experiences in prison.
The slow motion scenes in this film are beautiful and the transition from black and white to color is also well crafted. The direction by Tony Kaye is exceptional.
Ultimately, this film is monumental in its importance and relevance to society today and holds a very imperative message - the more you hate, the more detrimental consequences it will have on your life. Life is too short to hate, just love. No need to be angry all the time, we are all the same.
9/10