Tony Kaye, with a successful career directing music videos and television commercials, made his film directing debut with "American History X". He also served as cinematographer. He was not the editor, however, and when he saw the final cut he was outraged. The film had been edited to give more screen time to the star, Edward Norton. In what was probably not a good series of career moves, Kaye tried to remove himself from directorial credit, placed a critical ad in Variety, then filed a $275 million dollar lawsuit against the studio and director's guild. All because they would not allow him to credit Humpty Dumpty as director.
Kaye's anger must have been mollified when "American History X" did well, both critically and commercially. Edward Norton received a Best Actor nomination, justifying the editing job. Norton's character is the best in the film, so it is only natural that he should get most of the scenes.
"American History X" explores the neo-Nazi skinhead subculture in America. Of course, it comes out against it. The skinheads are portrayed as reactive hate-mongers, full of unthinking rage against 'them', and blaming 'them' for all their problems. The surprise here isn't that skinheads are made to look stupid and violent, but that several scenes depict blacks as criminal and violent as well. This doesn't mesh well with the movie's theme. Also, I would like to point out that while some neo-Nazi's are punks, most punks are not neo-Nazi's. This applies to punk rock as well. The intensity of punk music can be adopted for any unsavory cause, such as white supremacy. However, the basis of punk rock is anger at an unjust society, and definitely not hatred towards minorities.
There is one area in which "American History X" succeeds very well. That is in the linking of carefully worded but racist speeches from respectable authority figures to the actions taken by skinhead organizations. The film has fictional hatemonger Cameron (well played by Stacy Keach) acting as a cult leader to a large skinhead gang. Cameron has used Derek Vinyard (Norton) as a motivated, charismatic organizer. When Derek goes to prison for brutally murdering a black car thief, he is considered a hero within the cult upon his release.
But prison life has changed Derek. He went in as a polemic skinhead, having gone so far as to tattoo a large swastika on his chest. Assigned to do prison laundry, he works with Lamont, a good-natured, talkative black man (Guy Torry). Derek and X become friends, and Derek realizes how wrong he has been. He even suffers the hatred of a white gang firsthand. He begins working with passionate history professor (Avery Brooks) to save his intelligent, thoughtful younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong), who is far along the skinhead path.
Kaye films the flashback scenes, with constitute much of the film, in black and white. These scenes tend to be better than those in color, that take place during the present.
The familiar story of sin and redemption is given fresh life by the intensity of the plot and characters. Norton, who has bulked up since "The People Vs. Larry Flynt", is intimidating as a skinhead. There is some gratuitous violence and gun waving (Derek beats up his mentor, then faces down a nightclub filled with skinheads. The film's finale is also unnecessarily gruesome). There are also uncomfortable family arguments about race and ethnicity, with the mother (Beverly D'Angelo) and sister (Jennifer Lien) taking liberal stands against the racist polemics expressed by Derek. (You would think that they would quickly learn not to provoke Derek, but such conversations would be uncinematic.) Young Danny's soul hangs in the balance, although his character turn comes rather easily and without confrontation. (60/100)
Message Movie DVD - Tony Kaye made his feature directorial debut with this dramatic exploration into the roots of race hatred in America. In a shockin...More at Barnes and Noble
Edward Norton gives an impassioned performance as Derek Vinyard a Southern Californian skinhead who must do time after committing a hateful murder. On...More at Family Video
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