American History X

Rating: 2/10 (29 December 2016)

American History X acted as my introduction to Tony Kaye and didn't leave me thirsting for any more of his work. The 1998 film, was his directorial debut, and that fact showed. The film stars Edward Norton as a former white supremacist reformed after a jail sentence who now wants to help his brother, played by Edward Furlong, avoid traveling the same path. What the film lacks in character depth it makes up for in its overarching moral message. American History X is devoid of all real human complexity in favor of the easy and overly simple message against racism without ever actually showing much in the way of race relations. Everything about American History X is safe, and safe films are rarely remembered years after their release.
Edward Norton's Derek Vinyard, an easily mentally manipulated young man living in the increasingly diverse Venice Beach area of Los Angelis, California. Early one morning, Derek's brother, Danny (Edward Furlong) alerts his brother that his car is being broken into by "some black guy". Derek answers by loading a gun then heading outside in his underwear firing as soon as the door is open. Derek is arrested and sentenced to serve three years in prison. He bars his family and friends from visiting him while he is in prison, leaving everyone shocked when a completely transformed Derek emerges. When the white supremacist group that he used to head throws a party for his release, Derek wants no part of it and only attends the party to warn his former mentor to stay away from his brother and sever ties with everyone there. Derek's time is now spent trying to get his life back on track, find a job, and keep himself out of jail. His purpose, however, is to keep his brother, who idolizes Derek and watched his every move for years, out of the racism-fueled group that he fostered. He must impart his new-found enlightenment on his brother before it is too late.
Aside from the glaring plot deficiencies, American History X is shot in a painful way. The heavy reliance on extreme close-up and often off-centered shots miss the grittiness the director may have been going for and is instead nauseating. The memories shot in black & white came off incredibly gimmicky and really didn't serve the advancement of the narrative in any way. The transition from black & white memories to present-day color shots was far from smooth and was rather distracting. American History X is not the type of film that requires a voice- over, yet, it was voiced-over throughout the entire film. Even if a film doesn't need a voice-over, it's easier to forgive if there is a succulent voice providing the narration; American History X does not have this either. There is a heavy reliance on the shots of this film to provide a shock factor, rather than the narrative itself which is indicative of poor directing when you're working with a plot as explosive as race relations. Back to the plot, the audience is told all throughout the film that Derek is smart, but we are never shown that. Twice through the movie, the audience is shown just how little it takes to emotionally and mentally manipulate Derek, leaving one to wonder if his "transformation" will even be permanent. The betrayal in the final scene may be just another manipulation to push Derek back to his old ways of vitriol hate. There's just not much to take away from Tony Kaye's feature film debut, which is disappointing considering that it could have been a masterclass in cinema, given its premise.