American History X (1998)
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A man released from prison attempts to save his younger brother from the same radicalization that destroyed his own life.
The story
In 1997, a white student named Danny Vinyard is forced to write a paper on his older brother, Derek, a neo-Nazi gang leader who is about to be released from prison. Derek and Danny are brothers from Los Angeles who were involved in the White supremacist movement. After spending three years in prison for his violent actions, Derek is released on parole as a changed man. He seeks to intervene and prevent his younger brother, Danny, from being further indoctrinated into the same radical ideology that led to his own incarceration and the destruction of his life.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1997, Danny Vinyard is tasked by his principal to write a paper on his brother Derek, a neo-Nazi leader. Years earlier, after their father was killed, Derek joined the 'Disciples of Christ' gang. He was eventually imprisoned for three years for the murder of two men. While in prison, Derek realized the hypocrisy of the Aryan Brotherhood and was beaten for leaving them. Upon his release, he finds Danny has been recruited by the same gang. Derek confronts the gang's leader, beats him, and tries to convince Danny to leave. They eventually reconcile their views, but the conflict culminates in a tragic event at school. In a final confrontation, a student who was previously bullied by Danny pulls a gun and kills him. Derek finds Danny's body and blames himself for the tragedy. The film ends with a voiceover of Danny's final paper.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tony Kaye
- Writers
- David McKenna · writer
- Cast and characters
- Edward Norton · Derek; Edward Furlong · Danny Vinyard; Fairuza Balk · Davina; Stacy Keach · not specified; Elliott Gould · not specified; Avery Brooks · not specified; Beverly D'Angelo · not specified
- Genres
- crime drama
- Themes
- Radicalization; Brotherhood; Consequences of Hate; Redemption
- Tone and mood
- Intense; Somber; Hard-hitting
- Premise and plot tags
- White Supremacy; Prison Drama; Brotherhood; Anti-fascism
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original screenplay by David McKenna
- Content notes
- Violence
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim, particularly for Edward Norton's performance, and was a modest success at the box office.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 84% · scale: percentage · review count: 89; Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 32; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A to F
- Awards and nominations
- Satellite Award · Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama · 3rd Satellite Awards · Win; Academy Award · Best Actor · 71st Academy Awards · Nomination; Saturn Award · Best Actor · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film's score was composed by British composer Anne Dudley using a full orchestra and a boys' choir.; The film was used by Amnesty International USA for an educational campaign in 1999.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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