American History X

Do the Reich thing...

On the day that his older brother is due to be released from prison, student Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong) turns in a paper praising Hitler's Mein Kampf to his Jewish teacher Murray (Elliot Gould). He is sent to the principal, Bob Sweeney (Avery Brooks) who assigns him another task. He gives him a day to complete an essay on the events that have shaped his life, including the events leading up to the imprisonment of his brother. The assignment will be called American History X.

Writing this essay provides the cinematic device to tell the story of Danny and his older brother Derek (Edward Norton). Derek has been imprisoned for the killing of two men who tried to steal his car one night. Derek didn't kill them because they were thieves but because they were black, and he had been the leader of a neo-Nazi, white-power group. Derek's hatred of blacks was triggered when his father, a fireman, was killed by drug-dealers (presumed black), who shot him as he attempted to put out a fire in a poor neighbourhood. Hooking up with a local white-power activist Cameron (Stacy Keach), he organises a group of white kids into an organised mob who terrorise local non-white owned businesses.

Derek's racism is directed at anyone he meets - he explodes with rage when he finds that Murray is friendly with his mother, because he is Jewish. So when he finds two black kids (one of whom he had encountered before) messing with his car, he has no hesitation in killing them. One of them survives the initial hail of gunfire but Derek finishes him off as he lies wounded on the footpath.

When Derek is released (after serving three years for manslaughter), he returns home to find his mother ( Beverly D'Angelo) and siblings living in a small, shabby apartment, and that Danny has become involved in the neo-Nazi movement. Derek's own reputation has been enhanced by his crime, but he wants nothing more to do with Cameron's activities, and is determined to stop his younger brother following in his footsteps. The film follows his attempt to explain to Danny how his life has changed, and Danny's own exploration of his family's past (through writing his essay).

Tony Kaye's film is a thoughtful and sometimes shocking account of a skinhead's descent into murder and his eventual attempt at rehabilitation. The film is driven by two outstanding performances, from Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. Norton is simply frightening as the hate-filled Derek, all shaven scowl and bedecked with swastika tattoos. His portrayal depicts a keen intellect corrupted by an unfocussed rage. However, Edward Furlong has arguably the harder role, as it is more subtle and less showy. As a gangly teenager, desperate for a sense of belonging, and looking for someone to look up to, Furlong's Danny looks as uncomfortable in his own body as he does in his surroundings. The film is sustained by the sheer power of their performances.

Kaye's direction is visually striking, even if he does tend to overdue his use of slow-motion shots and allegorical imagery. He uses grainy black and white for the flashback sequences, which adds a documentary (and more ominous) feel to them. Kaye presents a couple of truly shocking (though not gratuitous) sequences - the double killing opens the movie and is shown again near the end of the movie. It is a sign of Kaye's confidence and talent that he shows the same scene twice, since when we see the murders at the start of the movie, we merely see a menacing-looking skinhead committing a violent act. When we see the killing later in the movie, we are aware of what drives Derek; we see the killing in a different context, and it is still as shocking and terrifying as the first time.

The other very disturbing sequence in the film is an attack, by Derek and his gang, on an Asain-owned supermarket. Though it is little more than vandalism and petty violence, the sense of reckless energy and viciousness is palpable - Kaye knows how to make an audience uncomfortable and uneasy without needing to gross them out. In some ways, he shares the same skill as Spike Lee in conveying tension and a sense of impending catastrophe.

Kaye's treatment of racism and racists is far more thoughtful than the polemic approach favoured by Lee. However, the film seems to suggest that young intelligent people (such as Derek and Danny) just need some moral guidance to cure them of their racist urges. The rest of Derek's gang are portrayed as fools, and therefore beyond redemption. This theory is somewhat undermined by the presence of Cameron, a confirmed racist who is obviously smart too. As the film concludes, the suggested real source of Derek's racist hatred is far too simplistic and naive, and it ignores the obvious tension arising from the natural conflict between culturally separate groups (white and black working class neighbourhoods). Another flaw in the movie is the depiction of Derek's conversion :- as someone who hates black people enough to kill two men for a triviality, his change of heart in prison is unconvincing. The film may be naive in its beliefs but it is still an infinitely better insight into the minds of racists than crudely drawn rubbish such as Betrayed.

There was some controversy before this movie was released when the director (Kaye) claimed that Edward Norton had used his Hollywood influence to have the final cut of the movie changed so that Norton would get more scenes. If any scenes seem superfluous, they don't include those involving either Norton or Furlong, who have each delivered their best performances to date in their respective careers. Likewise, Kaye's direction announces the arrival of a serious and powerful talent.

Directed by Tony Kaye.

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