Synopsis Some Legacies Must End. Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two thugs who tried to break into/steal his truck. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did. Cast Crew Details Genres Cast Director Producers Writer Editors Cinematography Production Design Art Direction Set Decoration Visual Effects Composer Sound Costumes Make-Up Studios Country Language Alternative Titles América X, Amerikan Hisutori X, Američka istorija X, 野兽良民, 美国历史档案, America X, Amerikanska istoriya KH, Amerikanskaya istoriya KH, Mathímata Amerikanikís Istorías, Amerykansʹka istoriya KH, Amerykańska Historia X Genre Themes Politics and human rights Crime, drugs and gangsters Faith and religion racism, african american, powerful, hatred or slavery prison, jail, criminal, convicts or brutal drugs, violence, crime, gritty or cops violence, shock, disturbing, brutal or graphic religion, church, faith, beliefs or spiritual Show All… Popular reviews More hard to believe edward norton doesn't have a single oscar. once again i challenge the entire academy to meet me in the fucking pit Asking me to accept the idea that you can curb stomp a guy in a fit of racist violence and be redeemed for it in less than 2 hours of cinema is asking both too much of me and too little; racist ideology rarely revises itself smoothly. I could go with it if the film earned it. This one does not. Getting over one's racism is possible - Mark Twain did it! - but it's a slow, agonizing process that requires more than making a black friend, a process that'd be interesting to see teased out and narrativized by a better, braver film. Provocative filmmaking at its volatile best, American History X is a brutally honest, hard-hitting, thoroughly unsettling, fiercely violent & absolutely devastating but crucial look at the dangerously destructive nature of racism and tells the story of a former neo-nazi skinhead who tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path he did years Kaye's direction & David McKenna's screenplay is mercilessly brutal & uncompromising with its content. Cinematography is sharp and deftly switches from present timeline to flashbacks. Editing expertly balances the two timelines and fiercely paces the plot. And Anne Dudley's music helps keep the intensity alive. However, the most impressive contribution comes from the strong, blistering & career-best performances from both Edward Norton & Edward tony kaye coming up with the idea to shoot the past racist stuff in black & white. I WOULD DIE FOR EDWARD NORTON ive always been curious to watch this movie since a lot of channers love quoting it as their redpill, but im baffled that theres actually anyone who would take this as an antifascist text? this is literal, irredeemable nazi propaganda, straight up. i say w all due seriousness that i did not find a single relatable aspect in this movie whatsoever. as a black person am i supposed to sympathize w a literal neonazi who was locked up for killing black teenagers? with a korean man used for a reverse racism subplot? with black ppl being violently killed onscreen? the basketball scene was downright repulsive. so truly, why was this made? and for who? i love how white ppl get… Rotten Tomatoes 83%Metacritic Metascore 62IMDB Method Personal Blu-Ray98/100Release Date 20 November 1998Distributor New Line CinemaBudget $20MWorldwide Gross $ Nominations 1Lamont "Don't fuck with me 'cause I'm the most dangerous man in this prison. You know why? 'Cause I control the underwear."SYNOPSIS A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he History X is a movie of its own category in that it has a little bit of everything in the way it touches you, which of course, makes it a very thought-provoking film. There isn't a genre you can place this film in because it is… This film proves that if a simple message is told in a very simplistic and almost unbelievable way, but is told with fervour and acted out brilliantly, it is in the end the basic emotional connection to the topic that remains. And that is the true strength in this film that was hindered by a troubled production and attempts to deal with a tough subject is a shame that most of this script, most notably the character development, is given the 'fairy tale' treatment. It is mainly dependent on simplistic contrivances and an audience willing to accept them. The motivation for the main character to go from A to B is not that convincing and I, for one,… A is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth of the most powerful movies. Edward Norton's best performance. I think it’s really hard to look at a film like this without at least some sort of issue with the depictions, but aside from the ending not really making any sense thematically, and actually contradicting the movie’s supposed stance on racial issues, it’s a film that thinks too little of its audience and assumes that all can be forgiven of a white supremacist in a two hour movie after only a half hour of reform. decent Norton performance though not interested in the shenanigans in the editing room there is absolutely 0 chance that a non-shit film could've been made from this material. for the vast majority of the runtime, it allows the nazi protagonist to spew his hatred in dramatic close-ups uninterrupted and unrebutted, taking it as a given that the audience disagrees with his screeds against illegal immigration and Rodney King as if 30-40% of the USA doesn't completely agree with everything he says. then, when depicting white supremacy in action, it uses every editing trick, dramatic camera angle, and musical cue in the book to highlight the brutality in such a way that the nazis in the audience probably approve of the portrayal i almost vomited… thinking of all the actual white supremacist who definitely jerk off to certain scenes of this movie actually makes me want to vomit