Gutsy and compelling

Rating: 8/10 (31 January 2013)

American History X is a real surprise, a searing look at racism in America today, told from the point of view of members of a skinhead gang. It's a lengthy film that's punctuated with moments of unflinching brutality, and yet it keeps you hooked to the screen throughout. And the reason for that? Edward Norton. Norton burns up the screen in this film; he's even better than he was in FIGHT CLUB, his big break-out picture. He somehow makes his Neo-Nazi character frightening, compelling and sympathetic in equal measure, a fully realised human being rather than a caricature. Furlong isn't bad, and supporting players like Gould and Keach are great, but let's not kid ourselves here. This is Norton's movie, and he owns it.
This film works well because it isn't judgemental in the slightest. It presents all the sides of a situation without ever TAKING sides. It refuses to preach to the viewer, too, which is something to be commended. It gradually draws you into the plot, and for once the many and lengthy flashbacks are more interesting than the present-time story; the prison flashbacks are among the most powerful I've seen presented. It's not quite a perfect film - I'm not too sure about that ending, when it comes down to it, it feels forced and disconnected from the rest of the movie - but it's certainly up there with the best that Hollywood had to offer during the 1990s.