A dark, violent, but moving tragedy that dares to understand hate

Rating: 10/10 (10 August 2008)

"American History X" is the first film to put more than a name and a face to the white supremacy/hate speech movement and that alone is worthy of applause. This film enters familiar cinematic territory in presenting the tragic nature of the cycle of violence as it relates to social inequality and race, but never before has a film taken the risk of putting us in the shoes of someone who believes in hate. It's a bold move and it delivers one of the more eye- opening films of our time.
The film centers around the Vinyard family, whose eldest brother Derek (Edward Norton) is one of the most respected leaders of a southern California hate group, who has just gotten out of prison for the ruthless killing of two black men that were trying to rob him. Prison has definitely changed Derek, but his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) looks to follow in his brother's old footsteps anyway. The film spends a lot more time in the past, with black and white flashbacks showing what turned Derek into the man he became and the impact it had on his younger brother and his family.
This is nothing short of a powerful film. It will make you cringe, shake your head, question your beliefs, and maybe even make you cry. Norton is so convincing that when his character makes his case for hate it's scary how logical he can sound despite how the argument fundamentally lacks any sort of compassion or belief in equality. A lot of that credit should go to first time writer David McKenna whose script is absolutely fantastic, never feeling unnatural. It's hard to believe this was original material. Norton, however, deserves a lot for coming off as so convincing and making the drastic change for his character such a believable one. Furlong as the young Danny is also terrific as an impressionable young teen who is both rebellious yet loving and innocent. The supporting cast is also without flaw.
It may be hard for some viewers to get past some of the brutality in the film or even sit comfortably through hate speeches, tons of hate imagery, or even just take interest in characters that believe in all that, but McKenna and first-time director Tony Kaye do a tremendously sensitive job of handling the subject. No one party comes off as seeming like more of the bad guy as that is the nature of the cycle of violence. The characters are also so multi-dimensional that you can't justifiably criticize the work that's been done by everyone behind this film.
For those curious, the film receives its title from the name of the assignment that Danny's principle give him which asks him to analyze his brother and understand what made him who he is. Throughout the film Danny works on this paper and comes to his own stunning conclusions the same as we do. The structure is so good and so compelling and its a shame the brutal nature of the film and its subject kept it from truly getting the critical recognition it deserved.