August 1999

American History X
Reviewed by Ian White
DVD Format

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Starring Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Fairuza Balk, Elliott Gould, Stacy Keach, Beverly D’Angelo

Directed by Tony Kaye

Theatrical Release: 1998
DVD Release: 1999
Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen

For a brief second at the Academy Awards in March, actor Edward Norton received some recognition for his startling performance in American History X. While I truly enjoyed Roberto Benigni’s performance in Life is Beautiful, Norton was shafted once again (Primal Fear, The People vs. Larry Flynt) by the academy, and I have to seriously wonder if they are going to pull a Paul Newman on this guy. (Newman finally won an Oscar for The Color of Money after a lifetime of superior performances.) The film’s limited distribution certainly hurt Norton’s chances, but those who saw it should have been blown away by his performance. Norton, in less than four years, has established himself as the premiere American actor.

The controversy surrounding this well-written, provocative film nearly killed it before it even made its way to theaters. Director Tony Kaye, furious with NewLine’s hatchet job, demanded that his name be taken off of the film and replaced with "Humpty Dumpty." The feud between the studio and Kaye became so embroiled that Norton was asked to help with the final edit.

While the film’s subject matter (racial intolerance, ignorance, skinheads) is hardly a mind-blowing social revelation to any of us, Norton’s portrayal of an articulate neo-Nazi skinhead (Derek Vineyard) who undergoes a reformation while serving time in prison for a brutal double murder and attempts to rescue his younger brother (Edward Furlong, Termintor 2, Pecker) from the skinhead order is almost too scary to watch. The film’s powerful flashbacks were all shot in black and white, and the contrast between the present and the past works incredibly well. One scene in particular, in which Norton stops two black men from stealing his truck and murders both in cold blood, left me reeling. His facial expression alone should send chills down your spine and stay with you for many nights. Norton buffed up for the role, and his tattoo-covered body is intentionally almost too gross to look at.

While Norton’s performance is the main reason why this film works so well, the supporting cast adds a lot to the film. Edward Furlong’s portrayal of a misguided neo-Nazi teenager longing for the admiration of his incarcerated older brother compliments Norton’s performance, with the two sharing a strong degree of on-screen chemistry. The film’s title comes from an assignment that Furlong must complete for his black principal, after incensing a teacher (played by Elliott Gould) with an essay called "My Mein Kampf." While only in the film for a few scenes, Stacy Keach is superb as the vile, den-father to the teenaged neo-Nazi youth. Keach’s character preys on the weak-minded youth with his Nazi propaganda, and it is up to the reformed former leader of the group (Norton) to rescue his brother before he ends up in prison as well.

The DVD is an excellent transfer, with one minor exception (some may consider it major). At one point in the film, just past the hour mark, there is some momentary jerkiness during one of the chapter stops. I noticed this when I first rented the film, and discovered that it existed on my purchased copy as well. It isn’t a huge problem, but I suspect that based on my experience with some other NewLine DVD releases, it has more to do with a layer-reading problem involving my Panasonic player and some of the NewLine films. The sound is crystal clear, and what little surround-sound information exists doesn’t detract or distract at all. The black-and-white scenes are very sharp-looking and minuscule details are easy to make out.

The packaged extras, which include deleted scenes, the original trailer, and biographies of the cast and crew, are nice to have, but nothing spectacular. Two of the deleted scenes are disturbing and one is about five minutes too long and ridiculously stupid.

When confronted with the simple question "Has any of this made your life better?" Derek Vineyard is forced to re-evaluate and make a decision that will ultimately change his life and the lives of his family forever. American History X is a classic film, one that deals with some of our worst social problems in a manner that most directors would be afraid to even confront. Don’t miss this one.

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