I was watching TV just now, and American History X was on FX. If you havent seen it, I really suggest that you do so. It is most famous for a scene in which a white supremacist curb-stomps a black car thief, a truly graphic experience even when edited for TV.
It is the story of a white supremacist (Edward Norton, in by far his best performance ever) who shoots and kills several black gang members attempting to steal his car one night. In prison he learns that white supremacy is a hollow lie of the weak minded. He is released, only to find that his younger brother (the kid who played young John Conner from T2) has been fooled by the pseudo-intellectual babble of a charismatic Neo-nazi leader, the one who first introduced Norton's character to white supremacy. Norton's character is heralded as a hero of the movement, and he shuns the attention, and knocks out the bigoted old man. The movie ends tragically, which most people can see, as things are just looking like they will finally change for the better.
Regardless, it is among the best movies ever made about hate and the American experience.
What makes it such a great movie, in my mind at least, is the way in which Norton plays his role, and the lines of the white power crowd. The way in which the lines are delivered have that power deep inside, the power to make you start to agree with the ideas being pontificated on. This stems not only from Norton's excellent delivery, but also from the ring of truth in some of what he says. His critique of the LA Rodney King riots is particularly stirring, until he starts using racial slurs to describe blacks, at which point it shoots itself in the foot, at least from the POV of a educated middle-class American.
Everybody should see it at least once in their life.
It is the story of a white supremacist (Edward Norton, in by far his best performance ever) who shoots and kills several black gang members attempting to steal his car one night. In prison he learns that white supremacy is a hollow lie of the weak minded. He is released, only to find that his younger brother (the kid who played young John Conner from T2) has been fooled by the pseudo-intellectual babble of a charismatic Neo-nazi leader, the one who first introduced Norton's character to white supremacy. Norton's character is heralded as a hero of the movement, and he shuns the attention, and knocks out the bigoted old man. The movie ends tragically, which most people can see, as things are just looking like they will finally change for the better.
Regardless, it is among the best movies ever made about hate and the American experience.
What makes it such a great movie, in my mind at least, is the way in which Norton plays his role, and the lines of the white power crowd. The way in which the lines are delivered have that power deep inside, the power to make you start to agree with the ideas being pontificated on. This stems not only from Norton's excellent delivery, but also from the ring of truth in some of what he says. His critique of the LA Rodney King riots is particularly stirring, until he starts using racial slurs to describe blacks, at which point it shoots itself in the foot, at least from the POV of a educated middle-class American.
Everybody should see it at least once in their life.
