American History X
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| American History X | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Tony Kaye |
| Produced by | John Morrissey |
| Written by | David McKenna |
| Starring | Edward Norton Edward Furlong Beverly D'Angelo Avery Brooks Stacy Keach Fairuza Balk Jennifer Lien Elliott Gould Ethan Suplee Guy Torry William Russ |
| Music by | Anne Dudley |
| Cinematography | Tony Kaye |
| Editing by | Jerry Greenberg |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | October 23, 1998 |
| Running time | 119 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20,000,000 |
| Gross revenue | $23,875,127 |
| Official website • IMDb • Allmovie | |
American History X is an Academy Award-nominated 1998 film directed by Tony Kaye. It features Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Jennifer Lien, Ethan Suplee, Fairuza Balk, Avery Brooks, Elliott Gould, Stacy Keach, Guy Torry, and William Russ. Norton was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.
The film tells the story of two brothers, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) and Daniel "Danny" Vinyard (Edward Furlong) of Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California. Both are extremely bright and charismatic students, but Derek is drawn into the Neo-Nazi and racist underground after their father, a firefighter, is murdered by a black drug dealer while trying to put out a fire in a South Central neighborhood. Derek kills two black gang members trying to steal his truck and is sent to prison for voluntary manslaughter. This story tells how Danny is influenced by his older brother's actions and thoughts and how Derek, now deeply enlightened by his experience in confinement, tries to prevent his brother from going down the same road he did.
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[edit] Plot
In the opening scene, Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong), a young white supremacist, sits in the principal's office. As we move into the office, we hear and see Danny's history teacher Murray (Elliot Gould) explaining to the principal, Dr. Sweeney (Avery Brooks), that Danny wrote a book report on Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. As a result Sweeney informs Danny that he is now Danny's new history teacher. The class is called "American History X" and his first assignment is due the next morning: a paper about his brother, Derek (Edward Norton), analyzing all the events leading up to Derek's incarceration and the subsequent impact on Danny's life.
The next scenes are flashbacks explaining Derek's journey from a suburban white teenager to a vengeance-seeking white supremacist. Derek had already been influenced by his firefighter father's supposed latent racism, and is driven to action when his father is murdered in a drive-by shooting; shortly afterward, he goes on an racial slur-laden tirade blaming blacks and Hispanics for his father's death, saying that most of the crimes in the country are race-driven. An example of what is portrayed as Derek's father's racism includes affirmative action which his father calls affirmative "black-tion." His father cites an example where two black men were given positions as firefighters due to affirmative action quotas even though they scored lower on the exam required for the position than two white men, which endangered the whole figherfighting team.
Eventually Derek becomes second-in-command of the Venice Beach Neo-Nazi gang, "The Disciples of Christ", and entices young whites to join by promising protection from predominantly minority gangs in the area. The gang is masterminded by Cameron Alexander (Stacy Keach). The gang commits acts of intimidation such as damaging a store owned by a Korean-American for hiring illegal Mexican workers, or challenging basketball games against groups of black players in order to win the court, thereby preventing blacks from gaining foot and territory in the neighborhood.
One night while Derek is in the midst of rough sex with his girlfriend Stacy (Fairuza Balk) and while Danny tries to sleep, three black men arrive on the lawn and break into Derek's truck (a gift from his father). Danny interrupts the sex between Stacy and Derek to tell him about the scene outside. Brandishing a handgun, Derek exits the house and violently confronts the men, killing one and wounding another. He also fires on the third man who makes a hasty getaway in a car. After recognizing the wounded man as a player from the earlier basketball game, Derek kills him by ordering him to place his mouth on the curb and then stomping on the back of his head (known as a "curb stomp"), effectively breaking his jaw and neck. Danny watches in horror, then witnesses his brother submitting to the police officers and smiling triumphantly, presumably because he feels no remorse for his actions.
Derek is sentenced to prison after being charged with voluntary manslaughter. Danny states that if he had testified, Derek would have received life imprisonment for murder. In prison, Derek joins the Aryan Brotherhood for protection. Eventually, Derek becomes disillusioned with the Aryan Brotherhood, especially over the group's dealings with a Mexican gang. Acting out in defiance, Derek angers key members of the Brotherhood and they rape him in the showers while the guard on duty turns a blind eye.
Meanwhile, Derek makes the acquaintance of a black inmate named Lamont (Guy Torry) while working in the prison laundry room. Although Derek initially scorns Lamont, he gradually warms up to him. Following the rape, his former teacher Dr. Sweeney pays a visit to the prison and Derek, now confused and distraught, asks him for help after all the atrocities he has committed. Sweeney, currently the school principal, informs him of his younger brother Danny's aspirations of becoming a Neo-Nazi just like Derek. He also confides in Derek that he himself used to hate white people as a youth, but he came to the realization that his racism was pointless. During perhaps the most pivotal scene in the film Sweeney asserts that Derek has spent his life pursuing answers, but Sweeney then askes Derek a question that soon changes the course of his life and future: "Has anything you've done made your life better?" This proves a turning point for Derek, who distances himself from the Aryan Brotherhood and changes his outlook on life. Lamont emerges as his only true friend in prison, going so far as to protect him from the black gangs who would have violently struck out at Derek once he left the protection of his gang.
Derek returns home to find that Danny has become a skinhead. After failing to convince Danny to leave the gang, Derek visits Alexander and informs him that he will no longer associate with him and tells him to stay away from Danny. Derek beats Cameron before leaving his office. During an ensuing confrontation, Derek's friend Seth (Ethan Suplee) points a gun at Derek in disgust and anger at Derek's betrayal of their group. Derek wrestles the gun from Seth's hand and points it at the angry crowd before running away from the party. Danny angrily confronts Derek, who tells him about his experiences in prison. The confession seems to prompt a change in Danny. They walk home and begin to change their ways, ripping down all their neo-Nazi posters and regalia on the bedroom wall.
The following morning at sunrise, Danny tells the end of his story. Derek gets ready for his meeting with the probation officer and soon they leave together. Derek walks Danny to school before his meeting, and on their way they stop at a café. There, they meet with Dr. Sweeney and a police officer. They tell Derek that Cameron and Seth Ryan were found last night after being jumped and they are now in the hospital. Derek claims no knowledge of the incidents, and Sweeney and the officer leave. Danny starts for the front doors of the school and Derek heads down the street. Danny enters a school bathroom before class starts and is confronted by a young black student (also a member of his own black gang) with whom he had a confrontation the previous day. Their eyes meet, and after a wordless pause the black boy raises a gun and shoots Danny three times in the chest.
Derek races back to the school. His worst fear is realized as he sits on the bathroom floor, cradling his dead brother, Danny. The only words that can be heard between sobs are the remarks Derek is making to himself about what he's done. The film ends with Danny narrating the conclusion of the paper, in which he quotes the conclusion of Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address.[1]
[edit] Cast
- Edward Norton as Derek Vinyard
- Edward Furlong as Danny Vinyard
- Beverly D'Angelo as Doris Vinyard
- Avery Brooks as Dr. Bob Sweeney
- Jennifer Lien as Davina Vinyard
- Ethan Suplee as Seth Ryan
- Stacy Keach as Cameron Alexander
- Fairuza Balk as Stacey
- Elliott Gould as Murray
- Guy Torry as Lamont
- William Russ as Dennis Vinyard
- Joseph Cortese as Rasmussen
- Keram Malicki-Sanchez as Chris
- Giuseppe Andrews as Jason
- Christopher Masterson as Daryl Dawson
[edit] Reception
American History X has garnered generally positive reviews from critics and the public. Edward Norton's performance is credited as the driving force of the film, and he was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor. It received an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.[2] It was not a box office hit, grossing $23 million worldwide.[3]
[edit] Deleted scenes
These are featured on the DVD.
- A scene in which an elderly black woman is harassed and made to cry on the boardwalk by a bunch of teenage skinheads.
- A scene after the "party", in which Cameron and Seth go to a cafe and discuss Derek's change. They harass a black guy/white girl couple, and then leave. A car is waiting outside, in which several black men watch them leave, before going after them. One black man inside the car (the same one who shoots Danny at the end of the movie) remarks "Somebody fixin' to get they ass whooped." The aftermath is not shown, but the audience later learns that Cameron and Seth were attacked.
- A brief scene in the cafe near the end in which Derek winks at a little black girl and asks her if he looks okay.
