American History X = Most powerful movie ever?

Is there a more powerful movie than American History X? Honestly. When I say "Powerful" I don't mean a tear jerker. When I say "Powerful" I mean, a movie that has great acting (Like both the Ed's) a movie that has a gut wrenching plot (Like racism and what it can do to your family) a movie that is bluntly honest to the point that it's almost offensive (Like when Derek was talking to Murray during dinner) and a movie that leaves you in mournful silence (Like when Danny gets shot and Derek runs in the bathroom and is so heart broken)

I don't think there is a movie out there more powerful than American History X. If you'd like to refute me, I'd love to hear what movie you'd put ahead of it and the reasons why.

This movie is terrific. Without a doubt it had some of the best acting I've come across in a long time. The movie just appeals to your senses, worries, and to society today.

When Derek uses the Lincoln freed the slaves 130 years ago and what not, it strikes you so hard. Why? Because it is shaming when you sort of lean towards it. Of course you know it's wrong at the same time. You can't judge the group, but the individual.

Derek makes you hate them. Or he had me hating them for a minute. He persuaeded me to do so. That's a powerful movie.

I don't see any movies that come close to it. Movies that regard life in a whole and just break it down so we get both sides of the story. Derek was our antagonist and protagonist. He was the good guy and the bad guy. He was our thoughts and worries.

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when I first read the thread title I had to come in here and argue...but after a few minutes of digging through mind to find a movie that could go head to head, I came up empty handed (or headed?)

well, after leaving the post for a couple of hours I come back now with at least some competition...Schindler's List, La Haine, Romper Stomper, Full Metal Jacket & City of God

...any of the aforementioned films could compete against American History X for most powerful film ever, however, you won't find me on either end, as I am fencesitter on this one!

The only one of the movies you've mentioned that I've seen was Schindlers List, and I don't think that one even rivals AHX. Schindlers List was a good movie, but it really wasn't focused on the holocaust, so it wasn't as powerful as it could have been.

I'd say that Do The Right Thing is a lot more powerful than American History X. I can't really argue with you (in a friendly way) about it though, until you've seen it. Watch it, and if you don't think it's more powerful than American History X, I'll make you change your mind.

But I will tell you why Do The Right Thing is a powerful movie. It's powerful in the way it gets its message across. Just like American History X, it deals with racism - but in a much more real and honest way, in my opinion. Its power comes during its climax, which is built up throughout the film. After the credits start rolling, you should be left in amazement at how unbelievably powerful this film is. And in case you didn't know, it's a Spike Lee joint, one of his early, angry ones.

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TOP 100 | "Don't let the bastards grind you down!"

Off the top of my head I couldn't name the most powerful movie I've seen, but American History X didn't really do it for me. I've mentioned Casualties of War before, but I was quite young when I saw it so that might have amplified its effect.

Not a big fan of the over-the-top style of American History X. Not a great film. That said, it's a good film,and it DID have some very affecting scenes in it, and I can see how many people would be totally bowled over by it. A strong statement, to be sure, but Full Metal Jacket beats it out in my book, as does Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing.

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I haven't seen Do the Right Thing, but I didn't find anything shocking about Full Metal Jacket, perhaps I'm just puerile but I found the first hour amusing and the ending ridiculous. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the film, it just didn't connect with me in that kind of way.

They had some incredible, powerful moments in that movie!

- The shower scene. Very disturbing
- The curb stomp scene. Another very disturbing scene, where Derek's anger gets the best of him. You can see on his face when they put the cuffs on him that he knows he just screwed up by leaving his family on their own.
- The bathroom scene where Danny gets shot. He comes into the bathroom screaming his head off and it is very moving.
- The scene where he tells Cameron to stay away from his family.
- The store raid scene. Very disturbing and upsetting. That scene brought tears to my eyes because it was so hateful and mean.

I can't believe you don't think that film is great

What are you doin' here, BobbyB? You're suppose to be watching Do The Right Thing.

I think AHX is a more powerful film than Do the Right Thing because it makes itself more obvious, though i think the realism, slow build and subtelty makes Do the Right Thing a better film. Agree with Full Metal Jacket, La Haine and City of God competing with the title. The opening scene from Saving Private Ryan blow me away years ago when i watched it, so that's up there, though need to see it again before comparing.

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American History X is much more powerful film than Do The Right Thing.

Do The Right Thing was, in my opinion, was not as good as I expected and was very generic. Yes, Do The Right Thing had a slow build that led to an explosive climax but the slow build is what killed the film. Barely anything leading up to the climatic racial fight motivates it. Just a few racial slurs here and there. It was great in showing more than a dozen different characters in the film, although all of them were boring, weak, and didn't motivate the climax. The film is so boring and the audience is always waiting for something to happen but nothing ever does. Nothing at all happens in the film. Only until the end is this giant climax filled with racial tension, fighting, and chaos. But its far from satisfying. I waited the entire movie for something to happpen and only till the end did something happen, and the climax wasn't even satisfying because it didn't fit. It basically came out of nowhere.

I can't begin to describe how terrible the climax is. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, is this racial fight. Nothing motivated it to happen at all. Throughout the entirety of the film, the blacks and whites seem to get along, with the exception of a little verbal fighting here an there but nothing more. But all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, they are fighting in this huge brawl with the cops too? Please....

So, Sinny McGuffins, make me change my mind...

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"All the confusion of my life... has been a reflection of myself! Myself as I am, not as I'd like to be." - Guido, 8 1/2

The blighted hellscape in the latter half of the film really brought home for me the hyper-real experience of a war torn battlefield. The realistic cinematography and the incredibly intense sniper sequence has stayed with me since I first saw the film in theaters when it was released.

I am also a massive Kubrick fan, so I could be biased.

It was the very ending that put me off, the 'shoot me, shoot me...' bit, I know it was meant to be horrific, but to me it seemed horror film horrific rather than serious horrific.

Simma dahn nah!


I don't think anyone here needs or intends to change anyones mind about anything. One can only really begin to understand another's view when they at least attempt to set aside their own strong heartfelt views on a subject, as opposed to placing their beliefs around them, as if they were some sort of defense to be breeched.

Your opinion is respected, and no one wishes to change it in order to become more aligned with their own. I am enlivened by the idea that AHX inspires and affects you so much. That is why we watch films, or it's why I do anyway. DIfferent films affect different people in different ways.

My issues with AHX are more with the technical aspects of how certain issues were handled, as opposed to the content or the players performances. Norton is fantastic in his role, but I feel he was put in some over-the-top situations that could have been handled more elegantly. It's just how the film came across to me. A racial film that gets a bit too heavy handed at times, like Crash, but it uses different methods. AHX went the shock route a few to many times, crash went with the melodrama a few too many times.

Do The Right Thing appealed to me more because of the negatives you listed. The simmering (Simma!), slowly percolating, pressurizing build of the film exactly aligns with the tension I perceive in reality. I don't walk down the street and see people getting smashed into pavement, but I certainly see and feel the underlying racial tension in the world. That's what I mean by over the top. I believe these uber-violent events happen, but it's not what defines racism in the world to me. A small sector of the population experience stuff on the level with AHX, the extreme of racism. A vast sector of the population deals with oppressive racial tension on a daily bases. This insidious pressure on our society affects more people on a deeper level, as far as I can tell. Do The Right Thing ALSO shocked me, but didn't overuse the device.

That is why flat out shock treatment of an age old, serious world issue gets holds less clout with me. Just how I look at it.

Again, it's not a bad film, by any stretch, just not an amazing achievement, IMO.

This could be a valid call, and I have heard it before. Not with me though.

I urge you to watch again, and this time concentrate on the powerful metaphor on structure vs chaos, and also on duality, used in the film. Everything from the structure of cinematography to the character interaction deals with these concepts. Thematically, visually, aurally.... So brilliant. Add to this the visceral nature of the film, and you have a complete package of philosophical, theatrical, and vicseral depth.

Power on every order of magnitude.

Haha, I think you misinterpreted my comment wrong. It was only a humorous statement that simply meant that I wanted to hear what Sinny would say in turn to what I said.

Furthermore, I doubt that I could sit and watch it again. The world that Spike Lee creates in Do The Right Thing is so cliched and boring. The same goes for the characters. You have your generic Italians running a Pizza Parlor and your generic African American people placed around the city. It would be a different case if these cliched characters were put in odd and unique situations but this isn't what happens. Instead, the characters are put in generic situations.

Other than that, I can't watch a movie in which nothing ever happens. BUT, for the sake of respect, argument, and Sedai, I will be curtious enough to maybe watch it once more.

American History, on the other hand, is much more powerful and thought-provoking than Do The Right Thing is. Do The Right Thing showed America what American already knew about racism and its effects. It went no deeper or furthur than that. American History X showed the racial tension that America had already knew existed but never saw first hand. Also, AHX showed racial tension from a more realistic view, Danny Vineyard. AHX also went much deeper into racial issues.

Heh, all good. I was actually asking Alvin to watch FMJ again, thogugh.

I shall watch it again when I get home (I leave most of my DVD collection there during term) and give you my updated opinions. One film I do have with me is Apocalypse Now, a movie which to me far better protrays the horrors of war; it too becomes surreal towards the end, but unlike Full Metal Jacket I think it works.

Myself being Catholic, I have to say either "The Passion Of The Christ" or "Jesus of Nazerath" were more powerful on a personal level, religion aside though i'd lean more to "Schindler's list".

It wouldn't work as a film without stereotypes, and the fact it's one of the first films to accurately represent African Americans means it's hard for me to find it cliched. Part of what makes it work for me is the fact it's more realistic than AHX, I agree with Sedai that AHX relies too much on shock moments whereas DTRT creates a believable atmosphere which carefully depicts racial tension without being too heavy handed.