spoiler alert. American can learn from this movie.

Rating: 9/10 (27 October 2014)

A former skin head in L.A recently released from prison and now reformed, attempts to change his ways and correct his past battles, to better his brother that is following down the same dark path he had been down.
The theme of American History X is struggle to change. Derek from the opening scene is almost looked at as a Christ like figure when the cops arrive they ask him to drop the weapon and turn around. The camera angle is upward and it goes slow motion. This scene makes him appear like a superhuman or God like figure especially when he puts his arms out like he is on a cross. Derek's tattoos are very noticeable in this scene you see the D.O.C tattoo which normally means department of corrections. But if you really think of it as a struggle to change to help his brother Danny than you might say it could stand for die on cross like God did.
After the opening scene the story is told from Danny's point of view. Their father was a fire fighter that had been shot while on duty trying to put out a fire at a possible drug house. Their father seemed to plant a racist seed in Derek and Danny's brain at breakfast one morning when Derek had brought up about his teacher having them read a book about affirmative action. From their on he flashed back to the coming of power of his brother in the DOC. Everyone in the DOC seemed to look up to his brother as a leader. On the basketball courts the DOC play an all-black basketball team for the rights to stay on the courts. Derek ends up slam dunking a basketball to win the game he then hangs on the rim. This is shot in slow motion once again peering up at him hanging showing him as a power figure once again. While in prison Derek starts to become friends with a black man Lamont. They become friends while working in the laundry room at the prison. While Derek is locked up Danny starts to get into the DOC heavily and following after Cameron. Dr. Bob Sweeney was a teacher of Derek's in high school, and is now Danny's teacher. He ends up helping to get Derek out of prison early after he had been raped by other White Supremacist for becoming friends with black people in prison. Dr. Bob Sweeney wants Derek to help get Danny back on the straight and narrow. Once out Derek breaks ties with the DOC and starts to get Danny turned around. Everything seems to be looking up for Danny, Derek and their mother until the closing scene of the movie Danny has had a run in with a black student from his school in which this time the other student is finally going to get the last word.
American History X in my opinion is very similar to Menace to Society in the way that the characters end up being fairly innocent in the start of the movie turn for the worst and start to make a turnaround for the better again and in both movies end up dying.
Like I have pointed out I think the slow motion scenes along with the angle are two techniques to help show the theme of this movie. Everyone seems to look up to Derek and the slow motion throughout the different scenes adds to his power and authoritativeness of his character in this movie, by looking at him at an upward appearance along with panning over/ at him and his muscular physique in slow motion to make sure he is given attention.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." -Nelson Mandela