If I learned one thing in this movie, it's that when you think back on past events, you think them in black and white.
Quite profound if you ask me.
I don't really know how to react to this movie. On one hand, Edward Norton's acting is spellbinding. The movie has many scenes that really resonate and stay with the viewer. On another hand, the movie is inflated, confused, and ends cheaply.
The plot takes place with Derrick and Danny, two skinhead brothers doing what skinheads do (in the flashbacks of course) hating other people that aren't white protestant, until one of them has a stunning revelation. At the beginning of the movie, the director pretty much says to you "Hate these guys for now, but later I want you to sympathize with them." If it wasn't for Norton's genius acting that would have fallen through, and hard.
The movie can't really find a balance in the way it tells itself. Sometimes the movie strives for realism, yet sometimes they take the operatic route and overwhelmingly cliche orchestral music ensues. The cast hold themselves well throughout, even when they're forced to toggle between acting like an actual human being and exaggerating every movement to its fullest for "dramatic effect." American History X works best when, like they should, the actors portray an actual family dealing with racial strife. The realistic approach helps the events resonate more, as we as the audience can relate with the constant racial tension in daily life. When the movie decides to be overdramatic, the audience is torn away, and are once again just watching some pictures on a screen.
The movie works, and I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, but it suffers some hard flaws. Not to spoil anything, but the ending is such a cheap fill of an ending. Almost as if the director strived to balance the racial seesaw with just one more disastrous event, yet ended up flinging the whole thing right back where the movie started. My point is, the movie deserved a better ending, and the one it got really forced itself into standing on the edge of Just Another Politically Driven Movie.
5.5/10
I actually watched this movie JUST before you wrote this, (or i checked it...) and i have a compleatly different opinion.
ReplyDeleteThis movie is now one of my all time favorites. Edward Norton is one of my favorite actors (i.e. fight club) so i had high expectations.
And this movie (in my opinion) delivered. You say that the movie is about two skinhead brothers who hate minorities until one has a revelation, but thats far from the point. Derrick (Norton) wasn't just any skinhead - he was THE skinhead. Basiclly, he lead the pack while the guy at the top of the chain stuck to the shadows. But Derrick didn't just hate minorities because they were different. In fact, as he explained his reasons, i began to agree with him. His problem wasn't that he hated minorities, it was that he stereotyped them, and that every one he met fell into those stereotypes. It may be hard to do, but to fully enjoy this movie, you have to ignore the fact that he is basically a neonazi. Listen to his reasons, and dont let personal bias get in the way. Everything gets worked out later, so you wont become a neonazi. trust me.
As for the ending- i had mixed feelings. It was abrupt, but it seemed fitting, in a "you cant fix everything overnight" sort of way. Maybe it was that stereotypes aren't always true, but they are sometimes. Maybe it was a karma thing.
Maybe it was that bad things happen to good people. Maybe the director was a closet racist, and didn't want you to approve of black people. My money's on the last one.
Excellent movie. fuck you and your shitty rating.