Edward Norton is amazing

Rating: 8/10 (30 January 2000)

As you watch Ed Norton in the role that garnered him a nomination for best actor, you realize that you are watching acting of a caliber that hasn't been seen since the glory days of Marlon Brando and the early works of Robert DeNiro. Norton virtually vanishes into this role. He is scary. With the shaved head, bulked up physique and tattoos dotted across his torso, he comes across as truly menacing. The real strength in this role comes from Norton's convictions. When he rallies his fellow white supremacists into a raid on a grocery store, you believe him. Then when he returns from prison, you see a totally different person. You see the pain and sorrow that has cost him three years of his life. When Norton looks into the mirror and sees the giant swastika emblazened on his chest, you see in his eyes a look of regret. Edward Furlong is also good in the role of the younger brother who is headed on the same path of destruction that his older brother was on. All the performances in this film are top notch. The film is hard to watch at times. The violence and the hate mongering that Norton perpetrates is tough to stomach, but in the end, Norton's character is redeemed. He has seen the error of his ways and he hopes to keep his brother out of the life that took so much from him and his family.