- Actors: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Avery Brooks, Jennifer Lien
- Directors: Tony Kaye
- Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language English
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.85:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: U
- Studio: New Line Home Video
- DVD Release Date: 6 April 1999
- Run Time: 119 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
- ASIN: 6305313687
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 17,678 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated performance in American History X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you, it should; Norton is so fully immersed in his role as a neo-Nazi skinhead that his character's eloquent defense of racism is disturbingly persuasive--at least on the surface. Looking lean and mean with a swastika tattoo and a mind full of hate, Derek Vinyard (Norton) has inherited racism from his father, and that learning has been intensified through his service to Cameron (Stacy Keach), a grown-up thug playing tyrant and teacher to a growing band of disenfranchised teens from Venice Beach, California, all hungry for an ideology that fuels their brooding alienation.
The film's basic message--that hate is learned and can be unlearned--is expressed through Derek's kid brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), whose sibling hero-worship increases after Derek is imprisoned (or, in Danny's mind, martyred) for the killing of two black men. Lacking Derek's gift of rebel rhetoric, Danny is easily swayed into the violent, hateful lifestyle that Derek disowns during his thoughtful time in prison. Once released, Derek struggles to save his brother from a violent fate, and American History X partially suffers from a mix of intense emotions, awkward sentiment and predictably inevitable plotting. And yet British director Tony Kaye (who would later protest against Norton's creative intervention during post-production) manages to juggle these qualities--and a compelling clash of visual styles--to considerable effect. No matter how strained their collaboration may have been, both Kaye and Norton can be proud to have created a film that addresses the issue of racism with dramatically forceful impact. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the great films of all time,
By
This review is from: American History X [DVD] [1999] (DVD)
This is a truly great film, intelligent and thought provoking. Edward Norton is amazing.Films like this need to be made because the problems confronted are still very real. The film takes you into the mind of a hardcore, militant racist in a world were he has to confront that which he hates. The debate between Norton and Eliott Gould is masterful, Gould's character being Jewish leads to inevitable consequences. The politics of the white power movement are depicted amazingly and it is a refreshing change for a skinhead to be depicted in a morally balanced way. It is a shame that, because of the language, this film will never be shown in schools. If the teachers werent so seemingly scared of the language that most teenagers use anyway, this film could easily be used as a great film to analyse morals and beliefs in our society. In the year 2003, we should have evolved past racism. Unfortunately, we havent.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best films I've ever seen,
By A Customer
This review is from: American History X [DVD] [1999] (DVD)
This film is stunning and quite possibly one of the best films you'll ever see. No film has had such a sudden impact on me quite like this one has. From the eye opening and absorbing plot to the breathtaking performances, this is a true epic. Ed Norton is simply superb - how he can go from being so scary one moment and then so friendly the next is beyond me. His fascinating character immediately draws you into the film and somehow forces you to care about an individual that at first is full of antagonism. There are also strong performances from the supporting actors, in particular the brother, who appears to be no older than he was in Terminator 2. The direction of the plot is also top-notch with the events leading up to and the development of Norton's hateful and violent nature portrayed in authentic black and white. The portrayal of these events are smoothly intertwined with the present day events allowing you to learn of why things are happening as they are happening. The story is told through the eyes of the brother who appears to be rapidly following in the fatalistic foot-steps of his older brother (Norton) who is desperate to teach him what he has learnt form his recent experiences inside. The ending is brilliant leaving you shocked and stunned and is the final piece of the jigsaw that is hatred, sorrow and remourse. As for the dvd, there's not too many extras, just the usual biographies etc, but who cares when the film is this good. Plug it into your speakers and be amazed.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
On of the most powerful films ever,
By Stampy (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: American History X [DVD] [1999] (DVD)
Edward Norton (Fight Club) stars magnificently as derek, an opinionated soul living in Southern America, a place where racism and cultural values are strong. His brother Danny (Furlong) wants to follow in his footsteps but after his time spent in prison, Derek has changed his views about society.
This is an extremly powerful film containing a massive pressure on culture and what various people from all walks of life believe about certain values. Norton is terrific as the hating immigrants emotional dominant protagonist and deservering of an Oscar nomination. The way the film conveys issues such as racism is remarkable, what certain people will do and say is jawdropping in Kaye's 1998 film. The ending is sensational and had me in tears, showing how powerful it is. Violence in shooting, gangs, bullying are all used to emhpasise the true meaning of the film, and it came off superbly, catching my breathe on various scenes. the direction is remarkable, especially the flashbacks which are filmed in black and white to convey passion and recollection for the characters. without a doubt, this is simply a must watch to make the audience see how wrong racism and violence is in society.
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