American History X (1998)

Director:

Tony Kaye

Writer (WGA):

David McKenna (written by)

Release Date:

30 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

His father taught him to hate. His friends taught him rage. His enemies gave him hope.

Plot:

A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Neo Nazi | Hatred | Skinhead | Murder

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Edward Norton	...	Derek Vinyard
Edward Furlong	...	Danny Vinyard
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Doris Vinyard
Avery Brooks	...	Dr. Bob Sweeney
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 (as Joe Cortese)
Jason Bose Smith	...	Little Henry (as Jason Bose-Smith)
Antonio David Lyons	...	Lawrence
Alex Sol	...	Mitch McCormick

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic brutal violence including rape, pervasive language, strong sexuality and nudity.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Spain:13 | Australia:MA | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | Denmark:15 | Argentina:16 | Belgium:KNT | Chile:18 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Israel:18 | Italy:VM18 | Japan:PG-12 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R21 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R | Greece:K-17

Filming Locations:

Johnie's Coffee Shop - 6101 Wilshire Boulevard, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

In the midst of the dispute about the time he was taking to edit the film, Director Tony Kaye attended a meeting with Michael De Luca (then New Line's senior product president). Kaye arranged for a Rabbi, a Catholic priest and a Buddhist monk to be present at the meeting to support his argument and "make the meeting a more spiritual one".

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the news interview following Daniel Vinyard's father's death, it is stated that he was an LA County Firefighter. In the flashback scene with his father at the breakfast table, you can clearly see that Dennis Vinyard has an eagle on the badge. The Los Angeles County Fire Department has a bear on the badge. The Los Angeles Fire Department has an eagle.

Quotes:

[Inside prison laundry]
Lamont: I'm the most dangerous man in this prison. You know why? 'Cause I control the underwear.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 25th Hour (2002)

Soundtrack:

Battle Hymn of the Republic

American Neo-Nazi gets a wake-up call

Edward Norton plays Derek Vinyard, a violent but also intelligent neo-nazi. After killing two black people who tried to break his car, Derek is sent down for a couple of years. Meanwhile, his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) is busy following in his brother's footsteps. After certain incidents in prison gives him time to thing, Derek decides to reform on his way out. Once out, he realises how quickly in number his old gang of nazi thugs has grown and wonders if he can save his brother.

This is a brilliant film. Perhaps what disturbs me the most is the way that Edward Norton looks so brutal, yet sounds so intellectual throughout the film.

Although the film contains a constant strong theme of violence, it is always justified in portraying a picture of racial tension. Neither black nor white people are "judged" in the film, it's primary focus being to outline that it's peoples brutality that causes a racial divide, not either race in general.