Thoughts on American History X

[DarkEndCorner]

I personally thought American History X was one of the greatest movies i have ever seen. The story was great and my brother strongly disagreed with me on it. So I was wondering what your thoughts on the subject were?

[linespalsy]

i think it's pretty highly overrated and not even a decent film. i thought someone took a pretty strong issue and just sophomorically milked it for all it was worth, draining what power it might've had and turning it into little more than a vehicle for edward norton to strut his stuff. plus all the unbelievable and insultingly dumb devices, the super-spotless blacks who turn norton's view of the world around like magic and that ludicrous basketball scene, for instance.

in a similar vein i prefered 'romper stomper' and 'la haine', and [if you can find it] the documentary 'the new god' by yutaka tsuchiya. 'american histor x' i place just a notch above the utterly dreary 'higher learning'.

EDIT:

oh yeah, and i also think luis malle's 'alamo bay' ought to be mentioned in this context too.

[Sedai]

Hmmm, I wasn't a fan of this one. Implausible narrative combined with over the top shock scenes had me wishing it was over half-way through....

_S

[DarkEndCorner]

Understood and taking in...I asked for your opinion and thats what i got no hard feelings...I generally do have a different view on what a good movie is then most on this forum...thanks for writing keep on going if you wish

[dillskies88]

It could of been better in my opinion.I don't no about the whole idea though.

[Dead]

Right now, I can only remember the kerb scene, so that says it all. Ed Norton is always good to watch and Edward Furlong (T2 kid) was surpriseingly good imo. Yea...

[Lola]

Over all it was a decent movie. The black and white sunset sequence was beautiful though.

[Erratic Behavior]

***1/2 out of *****

Remarkable performance by Ed Norton

[Godsend]

I honestly believe this movie was great. It took you past the Nazi shrivellved up gangs, and showed how they first began. The movie didn't rely on a hatred born, but on a hatred made...but through stereotype and arrogant thoughts. It expressed the fact that if some black guy does something bad in L.A., all of Africa isn't bad.

It explained to us what this obsession, not passion, of hatred could do to all of us. Even the smartest and the wisest of all could be engulfed in the flames of fury. It led us more into a life, then an adventure.

The ending was superb, but at the same time. It just shows that its never too late to chance, but somhow...and somewhere...

ack.

[Snix]

I remeber watching this film, My sister had it on and I just walked past to get a drink from the kitchen and I was sucked in :eek:

....I thought it was amazing, I normally don't like films of this sort but there was just something about it that kept me watching.

The acting, the directing the moods where all right and I for one would recommend this film to anyone.

[Pyro Tramp]

I liked Edward Furlong, and it had a brilliant ending. I can appreciate the negative points people are bringing up but i still enjoyed it. The curb scene is one of the few things i've ever seen that made me jump and feel very sick and uneasy.
Although, like in most his movies, i just cant take Edward Norton seriously. He always seems to have a smirk on his face which says to me, 'this is only a movie, hehe, im getting rich from your money for doing this'

[PimpDaShizzle V2.0]

Awesome story - Bad filmmaking... that's just DaShiz though.

[Piledriver]

Awesome story - Bad filmmaking... that's just DaShiz though.

Yeah...That just about sums it up.

[AboveTheClouds]

I thought it was entertaining, but nothing really special.

[sarah m]

Ok sure, the topic was a bit hackneyed and the story was a bit 2D in parts, but i think the combo of Edward Furlong and Ed Norton made it more than worthwhile and turned those 2D parts into 3D...i thought it was really, really good. Was hoping there would be more fans of it around actually, because i'd like to own my own copy and have no idea where to get one...all pretty expensive so far.

[moviefan20]

Frankly, I thought the movie was an awesome flick. It made you realize what the Skinhead lifestyle is like and how much hatred they have towards different races, religions, and creeds. But then you watch the man go through a time in his life where he realizes there is more to life than hatred. I give this movie a 9/10. Plus i like Ed Norton too.

[chicagofrog]

in a similar vein i prefered 'romper stomper' and 'la haine', and [if you can find it] the documentary 'the new god' by yutaka tsuchiya. 'american histor x' i place just a notch above the utterly dreary 'higher learning'.


like everything, qst of taste.
i loved American History X, i hated La Haine (no pun intended :D )

and probably it has something to do with where i come from and what i experienced in France and the US.

my reasons to like the first so much and have no respect at all for a flick like La Haine:

1) it's a perfect example of the different nature of censorship in the US and in France/Europe. different taboos. show an ass in the US, talk about abortion..., and it's mature audience only. BUT, they make a movie about racism, that intelligently criticizes racism among white guys, skinheads... and at the same time show that it's all a never-ending circle of violence - and Blacks in that movie are not innocent angels either. which corresponds to real life.

2) take the same thematics in France, treated by young artists, and they make immigrants all-good, all poor victims of the system and blahblahschmaltz :eek: :( :sick:
and of course policemen are all racists waiting to catch innocent Arabs to have violent fun on saturday nights...
those youngters that destroy yr car, threaten you with a knife etc... because they're not able to find anything more constructive, more intelligent and more reasonable to do in the evening... oh no, it's not their fault, poor kids :rolleyes: ... :sick:
taboo in France: to be anti-racist, one has to consider that racism only originates among French/Whites. and ALL immigrants are good, and if they're not, they're poor victims.
it stinks.

so, for those who read my criticisms in other threads on censorhip in the US, balance it with this: in France (/Europe - same thing approximately in Germany and England), there's only ONE semi-official, politically correct way of discussing immigration and racism. a very simple way: deny some facts (percentage in criminality), ignore others and paint it all in two colors: the bad guys versus the good, tolerant, innocent immigrants.

well, experience tells me:

no truth ever is as simple

American History X is far more intelligent and fair and true than La Haine could ever be.

[Henry The Kid]

Frankly, I thought the movie was an awesome flick. It made you realize what the Skinhead lifestyle is like and how much hatred they have towards different races, religions, and creeds.

Yeah, thank God for this movie. I never knew that racists hated other races until I saw it.



The movie was pretty mediocre, overall. I wouldn't call it trash exactly, but it really did very little. I was also unimpressed with Ed Norton.

[chicagofrog]

I never knew that racists hated other races until I saw it.


... :rolleyes: ... :rolleyes: ... :rolleyes: the ones that hate their own race, should they be called autoracists?

[The Taxi Driver]

*spoilers*
i liked this film. it had a really good story and i really like Edward Norton. the acting could have been better. like at the end when danny gets shot and Derek starts crying he kind of looks like he is laughing.

also did any of you hear of the original scripted ending. after Danny got shot, Derek was originally going to walk to the mirror and shave his head and become a skinhead again. i think it would have been a really bad ending if that happened. Derek was talking about how he realized how wrong he was in his past and why he regrets ever doing the things he sis. he seemed to feel very strongly about it so i dont think he would have just decided to be a skin head again.

[Knoxville]

I did like this film, I think Ed Norton is a pretty good actor, the kerb scene makes me wince every time I see it.

[windsoc]

I personally loved this film. It was an uncomfortable watch but one I thought was well worth it. I thought the film making was wonderful and all of the actors did well in their parts. I have watched a tv program that touched on Tom Metzger the man Cameron Alexander was based upon. It may be seen as a moral tail that is seen as one that has been told so many times it is a cliché but I think it should be something that is never forgotten.

[Lucas]

It is flawed but I love it regardless.