The acting was as great as the flaws (Spoilers Included)

Rating: 8/10 (30 September 1999)

Please note that these comments include spoilers, so if you have not seen this movie do not read on.
The acting in this movie as have been already said was great - enough said I think. Of course this was helped by a great script as well in many respects. However this movie should not be regarded as a classic because of the following flaws in plot design and characterisation. 1) At the beginning of the movie, Derek seems to have a valid right to protect his property against those black people who were stealing from him. It would have been best if the movie depicted the black people just sitting on his wall and talking and then Derek got mad and did what he did.
2) The middle part of the movie is a complete disaster. The prison scenes were the biggest let down in the movie without a doubt. How Derek quickly made friends with that black convict is unrealistic considering that he rejected mixing with the other blacks in the prison. His conversion and realisation of his criminal activity was too quick and non-existent or simply to unrealistic. When Derek is raped in the shower we see that he has suffered physically, but mentally we do not see how he copes with this harrowing situation.
3) When Derek makes his racist arguments there is no counter comments made throughout the movie, therefore the viewer is totally confused how Derek could have changed.
4) When Derek slaps the face of the leader of the Neo-Nazi organisation, we do not see the leader reacting against Derek afterwards by going around to Derek's place (like in many scenes in the Godfather movies) with his henchmen. Rather we get an unrealistic ending which involves a side incident that occurs in the movie, rather than the main purpose.
This movie is worth watching, but misses out on the classical status because of its flaws - hence no best picture norm in the oscars. Only if these flaws could have been dealt with then it would have been one of the greatest movies of all time.