American History X (Wide Screen) > Reviews > Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	A great story, great acting, great direction
Disadvantages:	Quite violent

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This is a film that I would not have personally gone out to watch had it not been recommended for me. American History X is a film centred around the White power movement and the consequences of extremism.

The film’s main protagonist is the intelligent Derek Vinyard. Following the murder of his father; a fireman who was shot whilst putting out a fire in a crack house, Derek becomes filled with racial hatred and eventually becomes the second in command of the Venice Beach neo-Nazi gang, The Disciples of Christ. Under the guidance of Cameron Alexander (the leader of the D.O.C), Derek recruits others, mainly those who were victimised by people of ethnic minorities, to join their fellowship. Derek and other members of the D.O.C eventually obtain control of the majority of the Venice Beach Area. Derek soon becomes someone many look up to, including his brother, Danny. Following the murder of a black character (a particularly horrific scene in the film), Derek is sentenced to three years in prison for voluntary manslaughter.

Three years later Derek’s White Supremacist ideology is present in his brother. As the film begins, we see a teacher complaining to the principal about a report Danny wrote on Mein Kampf stating that Hitler was civil rights Hero. The principal that tells Danny to write another report that would be the next day about his brother for a class the principal entitles American History X. The film is narrator by Danny as he writes his report. It consists of many flashbacks of Derek when he was second in command of the D.O.C and Danny’s commentary on what he thought of his brother. However, Derek is no longer the White Supremacist he used to be. His time in prison particularly time spent with a black fellow prisoner and Derek noticing the hypocrisy of members of his group of Supremacists, changes him. Derek instead tries to teach Danny that what he believes is wrong, attempting to undo the damage he had done to his brother previously.

The main themes highlighted in the film are affirmative action and racism. The them of affirmative action is mainly explored through the character of Derek’s father. The argument against affirmative action is highlighted in a conversation that the whole family has at the dinner table. It raises the question, “If someone is less suited for a job, do they deserve to have it because the company needs to fill a racial equality quota”. The theme of racism, as you may guess, is present throughout the film. It is present in the actions of the D.O.C and how they actins are “justified”. Another conversation at the table also explores this theme. Derek attempts to justify the Rodney Kind incident in the presence of a date of his mothers. This eventually results in a argument and later violence.

The performances of the actors in this film are absolutely amazing. Edward Norton plays Derek Vineyard. Norton shows the ability to depict the hatred and development of his character very convincingly, the mark of a great actor. Edward Furlong, mainly know for his role in Terminator 2, plays our narrator and the character, Danny. Vocally, Furlong does well, he delivers the narration of this lines in the intended form of a report and also carried the emotional undercurrents of a brother analysing the actions of his brother. In addition of to being a good narrator, as a physical character, Furlong’s performance is outstanding. He also convincingly shows the development of his character. The film also stars Avery Brooks, notably known for his role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Brooks was an actor is was weary of because he is always in my head as Commander Sisko. I was able to forget this role and I soon became absorbed and entranced by his performance as the Principal Dr. Sweeney. The rest of the cast are as follows:

Beverly D'Angelo: Doris Vinyard
Jennifer Lien: Davina Vinyard
Ethan Suplee: Seth Ryan
Stacy Keach: Cameron Alexander
Fairuza Balk: Stacey
Elliott Gould: Murray
Guy Torry: Lamont
William Russ: Dennis Vinyard
Joseph Cortese: Rasmussen
Jason Bose Smith: Little Henry
Antonio David Lyons: Lawrence
Alex Sol: Mitch McCormick

American History X is amazing film that I would recommend almost anyone. The acting is great, as is the direction, and storyline. An aspect of the film that I particularly enjoyed was the change from black and white to colour. For each flashback, the film became black and white. There may be some reason for this that the director intended but I always assumed it was to highlight the difference between the races. I thought that they were, in essence, pretending that the issues were as simple as black and white.

American History X outlines the the evolution of one man and I can't think of a better way in which this story could be told. The film also has a message for us all, as Danny (Furlong) says at the end:

Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it. Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'