American History X (1998)
AKA: –
Directed by: Tony Kaye
Starring: Edward Norton (Derek), Edward Furlong (Danny), Avery Brooks (Sweeney), Beverly D’Angelo (Mother), Jennifer Lien (Sister), William Russ (Father), Stacy Keach (Cameron), Fairuza Balk (Stacey), Elliott Gould (Jewish guy)
Country: United States
Language: English (Eng Subs)
Runtime: 01:58:51
Genres: Nazism, Racism, Based on a True Story, Rape-Men, Siblings-Family
Plot – Spoilers:
Loosely based on the life of former skinhead Frank Meeink, American History X set in Venice Beach follows Derek and his younger brother Danny as they plunge into Neo-Nazism as a counter to the take-over of their town by other races.
Derek and Danny are smart kids at school but Derek loses his focus in literature after his firefighter dad is shot dead by black drug dealers while on duty. He becomes the protege of Cameron, an older white-supremacist, and creates an organized Neo-Nazi gang that intimidates gangs and people of other colour.
One night, a black gang attempts to break into Derek’s car and he shoots one of them before willfully splitting another’s head on the pavement. For this he gets 3 years jail-time and his time away sees younger brother Danny follow in his wake. Prison also doesn’t go according to Derek’s expectations and beliefs.
Edward Norton as always is fantastic while Edward Furlong reminds us why the Terminator kid was such a fine prospect.
What the fuck… not even on effedupmovies do we get the execution scene. You’re really gonna make me torrent this movie? Ugh.
Seems it was included after all, spoke too soon my bad
Damn i remember our religion teacher putting this in class
its a shame his brother gets killed at the end
Go kill yourself
Kiked movie
Lmao! I have nothing against Jews but lmao
great movie
Great movie!!
Wow pretty good movie and the ending is worth the long story listening I thought it was funny to imagine when he is sharring his prison story for like a good 30 mins I Was watching thinking… “Jeez they must of been talking about this for days..” I really expected them to end the prison story and go back to the brothers but on a different time of day and place XD but it looks like they just sat in same spot no later or nothing XD If they were to ever allow gore movies to be shown in school I think this would be a really good movie for school kids to watch to show them how stupid gang fighting can get when politics get involved and ussually always does.
A decent movie. Gets a bit Driving Miss Daisy-esque at some moments and kinda paints skinheads as a whole in a bad light but overall one of the best representations of far right radicalization I’ve seen come out of Hollywood. Everyone should watch at least once yet this might be one of the few good movies I’d rather not see a second time 4.5/5
Lmao, this movie is so fucking bad. Nothing prepared me for the sheer stupidity of the basketball scene. That said: despite all its hand-wringing, this movie does way more work to make Nazis look cool and relatable and awesome than any living Nazi ever did. Nazis wish they could dunk but they can’t cuz they’re too boring to live. That’s why they’re dying out.
What’s really fascinating (in a sad sort of way) is that in much the same way that A Serbian Film was not a horror film, this movie is not truly a movie about racism. According to Ed Norton himself, the story is more about the bitter consequences of violence and hatred. The racialist component that the writers got typically hokeywood lefty with was only meant to serve as a vehicle for explaining why violence and hate hurts all kinds of people and just perpetuates until it has no targets left…and seeks new ones.
racist much?
Simple minded much?
Love this movie so much! Hatred never wins.
Unless it’s the kind of hatred far leftywood chooses to ignore. You know, the kind that groups like Azland, the New Black Panthers and the JDL practice. Southern poverty law acknowledges groups like these as hateful extremists. Mojo, (Who has always been the only truly intellectually honest American feminist publication that has ever existed) has no problem condemning violent radicalism from the left. But when it comes to LA LA land, the fairplay goes out the window and gets replaced with outright lies. A great example of this where this movie is concerned is the part where the girlfriend claims that “Some yahoo stopped recording (The Rodney King beating) halfway”. Nothing about what happened to that Man was right, but the claim she makes is just another bare faced lie. Trust me, as long as only one person(s) flavor of bias is scrutinized and held up for the masses scorn, hate will always win!
Uh, welcome to planet earth where hatred wins all the fckng time. Not every time, but a lot of the time. Only an idealizing idiot or someone extremely sheltered their whole lives would be delusional or ignorant enough to believe otherwise. Hate. Wins. Every. Fckng. Day.
film obviously touched a nerve – see comments above
Haven’t watched this movie in years, what a great come back
one of the best movies of all times for sure.
MR BRIMSTONE… I agree with you. I think the movie is BS and the characters almost one dimensional.
And then there is the most disgusting part of the movie toward the end where the skinhead’s dad, a man who lost his life in the line of duty as a Fireman, is made out to be the big bad bigot that warped his son…Talk about fucking victim blaming!
If ever you want 100% proof that skins are fucking idiots, just talk to one about this film…it rips everything about their retarded ideology to pieces but they still fucking love it!
The thing about the skinheads is they all just want to be a part of something…. because, for the most part, they’re the biggest bunch of losers you’ll ever meet.
wow, what a fucked up ending
*Intellectual dishonesty was what I meant to say…lol
Most skillfullt crafted, superbly written and Oscar worthy acted WHITE GUILT PROPAGANDA FILM TO HAVE EVER BEEN BIRTHED FROM THE LOINS OF HOKEYWOOD’S CLICHÉ, ULTRA LEFT NARRATIVE! It’s sold most of it’s viewers so well on it’s distortions, half truths and outright intellectual honesty so well that if Goebbels were alive today, it would make his lying, propaganda spewing ass blush with envy! A gut wrenching movie if you appraise unbiased truth over narratives ppl allow themselves to be mired in. Just too damn good to hate and that is what makes it downright dangerous. Lastly, on a personal note, I have had the grave mispleasure of being locked up and it is true that boots and AB’s don’t like each other. If Frank Meeink was hurt by Ab assholes, I’m sorry. But none of those guys are any kind of a close not family anyway. Regular Woods like I was, Skins, and Abs generally tend to avoid one another anyway. A fact I hope that none of you who have never lost your freedom ever become intimately acquainted with!
SHUT THE FUCK UP RETARD.
LOL… Brilliant retort. I’ll bet you it took you half the day to come up with it, huh?
Been there, done that for a hard 7. The AB was slim on my yard(s). No skinheads at all, but lots of good unaffiliated wood. Long motorsickle hoodlums, which is what I was. But here in Az, it’s La eMe all the way. They be running things and that’s okay. They keep things tight and respectful, and every summer when it’s 108 degrees and tempers are flaring it’s all about the esses and the woods partnering up to beat down the toads – hard. Every muther fuckin’ year…
hey doc, just saw your comment on the recents and i was wondering if your name has always been missing a “c” or am i mandela effecting that it was lecter? or it’s just a typo ahehe
Good catch. It’s a typo… and if you comment more than once, it automatically fills in the name and email addy.
Sorry it’s taken this long for me to reply Dr Leter. I just found out that the comments limit has been removed. I’m also sorry that you had to do your stretch in the biggest prison state in the country! I’m sure you’ve heard this saying, but for those that have never had the mispleasure of living in Az “Come to Arizona on vacation. Stay in Arizona on probabation. Leave Arizona on violation. Return to Arizona in incarceration.” In fact, Assazona is ranked eighth in education and exactly the same in incarceration! My brother bought seven for taking the fall for my stupid nephew and moved to Mexico permanently after he finished his parole! Luckily, my time was just county. But as I’m also sure you know, county is the worse fucking time you can do! Veteran cons in there were always saying how they’d be happier than a punk in a pecker patch to finally go to D.O.C.! You are 100% correct about the loose solidarity Chicanos and Woods have if you’re locked up anywhere. I have no legit racist sentiments anymore. I’ve seen good and bad in every body. Hope that life is going well for you now man!
agreed, i think films like this definitely contribute to giving skinheads as a whole a bad name, among other things of course. damn shame.
Skins don’t have a bad name.. they are a sub set of punk rock from the 80’s. Neo Nazi wannabe’s that emulated and stole the culture have the issue. They tried to go to war with the punkers in the UK and claim the culture and breed like flies on shit and spread their hatred. Punkers and real skins hate them equally. They beat them down wherever they encountered them. Then the Neo Nazi fags found sympathy with other Racists around the world and in America and formed the Aryan Brotherhood and other fringe groups.. Don’t claim the Skin Head movement please!
i am literally agreeing with you?? i am simply saying that mainstream media tends to group the ab with skins and pushes that narrative. to a lot of uninformed people when they hear skinhead they think nazi because of those lies.
You don’t know anything about the AB… who were around long before skinheads.
True that. Even certain Skins don’t like each other. Traditional, xtian skins can’t stand Asatruar Hammerskins. (Who are often at odds with the many Asatruar C.O.s who are by and large non-racists). Personally, I embrace no religion but if I did, it damn sure be Asatru before pisstianity any day!
Fair enough. But whatever S.H.A.R.PS once were (or whatever was appropriated from them by racist skins) they’re a bunch of fucking sissies now.
eat shit and die faggot
Grow up. You merit no further comment.
Love this movie! Excellent!!!