After two days, I didn't think I would last a week

Rating: 10/10 (4 July 2010)

This is the only thing by Kaye I've seen(and the only I'd really heard of), but everything else by him looks compelling. When dealing with something controversial and brutal, you can water it down and appease censors, or you can match it in how relentless it is. In the case of a flawed ideology, the battle can be fought mainly by letting the followers and their actions speak for themselves(this is not propaganda; what we see in this could have happened). That is what we have here. I've read that this was based on a true story; while I don't know for sure, I can imagine that it is. The editing is sharp and vicious, not playing down what we're seeing in the least. Cinematography is dynamic and it keeps the pace(and intensity) high throughout, without reaching the point where we are overwhelmed or something didn't properly register with us. It is a 110-minute dirty, bumpy ride down a bad road, with the result that we can only seek to avoid the path, and deter others from following it, as well. The acting is spellbinding, every single performance. I found myself realizing that I knew these people from other stuff(then again, why haven't I seen Guy Torry in anything else good(steer clear of The Animal)? He's great!); however, they are so convincing here that they disappear into their well-written, credible and well-developed characters. Furlong is amazing. Norton ignites the screen as the furious and charismatic Derek. Apparently, he recut this to get himself more time... I don't know, maybe he did; I have to admit, I am rather happy with the released version. The ending is perfectly underplayed, a brilliant pay-off to a subtle setup and an undeniable fact of the problem of racism and hatred(as a sort of spot-on period to a film about those subjects). All of the script is impeccable. The dialog is natural, and the unrestrained feel of it helps paint a clearer image of the types we're following. This is funny at times, and it isn't without uplifting moments(not to be confused with sap or sentimentality); there is light at the end of the tunnel, it's merely dim. The author of this does not have anything other than this to his credit(well, S.W.A.T. was decent)... don't let that fool you. There is a ton of strong language, graphic, bloody and terrifying violence and disturbing content, a little sexuality(and a rape) and male nudity, including full frontal in this, and none of it is gratuitous. The DVD comes with three deleted scenes coming to a total of six and a half minutes and a theatrical trailer. I recommend this to anyone mature enough for it, and who has the stomach for it(yes, regardless of any other parameters). 10/10