Slow beginnings pay off in the end

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2012)

It's hard to know what to expect going into American History X. It's not the most approachable or accessible film, and it deals with particularly dark subject matter that is disturbing and off putting to many viewers. Edward Norton stars as Derek Vinyard, the head of a Neo-Nazi gang. In the film, Derek has just been let out of prison after serving a three year term for murder. When he gets released he comes to realize the error of his ways in the past, and now he is determined to prevent his little brother Danny from making the same mistakes he did. The whole film takes place on the day Derek gets out of jail, but black and white flashbacks dominate about 60-70 percent of the film. Watching his film is a brutal endeavor and I had some issues with it at first, but it all pays off in the end.
American History X has a very strange and offbeat style to it. The cinematography is uniquely nuanced between black and white and color. The film utilizes a lot of camera techniques in strange places, such as the abundance of odd close ups and tilted camera angles. These things are somewhat distracting at times, but they give the whole film an uncomfortable and chaotic atmosphere that really sucks you in. Overall it is indeed an engaging film, possibly because of its oddities.
It's also unique in its verbose screenplay. The film is full of ranting monologues that push the sub textual point of the film a little too heavy and make the film a little simplistic at times. However, it is filled with very poignant dialogue that captivates and compels to a great extent. The racist and hate filled rants that Derek delves into multiple times throughout the movie are extremely shocking as well as fascinating, albeit ridiculous at times. One issue I encountered, however, was the way the script isn't exactly able to differentiate its levels of speech. All the characters talk with the same literacy and dialect, and all with a very similar cadence to their delivery. This fault doesn't make it seem like Derek is the highly intelligent, yet misguided, young man we are led to believe he is. Instead he seems to be at the same level of intelligence as the rest, just with an ounce more charisma. Yet at the core of all its vulgarity and flaws the script is really very intelligent and has a lot to offer in the big picture.
The big picture is an important term to use here because you have to finish all of American History X to get the whole picture. The film makes you think up to the very last shot. When I really thought the film would end up being a disappointment it hit me with a powerful and shocking ending that changed all of what I thought about this film. The film might slip up during the first two acts, but when it all starts to come together towards the end the payoff is unexpectedly brilliant. American History X is well worth the watch. It's not your average run of the mill film and it will challenge your mind to think bigger and it will open your eyes to the bigger and darker world we live in.