American History X is one of the golden gems that I have just discovered. It has been around for a long time and I had just now finally seen it and I have to say that this continues to prove my theory that Edward Norton is the single greatest American actor at work today.
The movie is filled with tears and a heart-wrenching back story that adds more to the heart break. It begs the question that many teachers have been struggling to answer: How far can a kid go before he is lost? And the answer is never.
Edward Norton plays a skin-head, neo-Nazi man who is determined to outcast all non-White people out of his town. He ends up in prison and reforms himself due to reasons I will not mention. When he gets out, he sees that his younger brother is going down the same exact path that he does which ultimately winds up in one the most tragic endings I have ever seen and one of the most unexpected.
Edward Furlong, who plays the younger brother, also gives a great performance, but it is the acting of Norton that this whole film rests on. Quite honestly, no one else could have played Derek Vinyard and have done half as well as he did. In fact, I can’t quite say anything else about this movie except for the acting for these two actors. Not to say that there isn’t anything else good in the film, but they both embody this movie that there really isn’t much else to say.
I’d say see it, that is if you don’t mind the language. There are a few scenes where some may want to look away such as two quick jail shower scenes and a sex scene that is brief at the beginning of the film. But if you do see it, prepare yourself for an emotional finale.
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