Thursday, April 15, 2010

Introducing You To The Movie American History X

By Casandra Cooke

You likely don't need a lengthy explanation of what this article is actually about. The content here will serve to properly introduce you to one of the most impressive films of all of the 1990s, "American History X". You should learn a few different things about this film to fully appreciate it as it was meant to be appreciated, and most of this prevalent information will be contained within the upcoming paragraphs.

You might be surprised to learn that many people seem to think that this movie was based on real events. The truth is, that this is not the case. While there might be a little bit of truth in the telling of any good work of fiction, this is not the retelling of any one series of events. Perhaps the film is thought to be based on real life because it has a no holds barred approach to laying this film out in front of you. They don't pull punches.

You are given the best look into the life of Derek Vinyard through the piece, though it is often through the narration of his younger brother Danny. Danny is still in high school and has been getting into some trouble from the teachers and staff at the school. His history teacher asks him to write a paper on his older brother, Derek and that it was due the following day.

Derek is a leader of a gang of white supremacists in the neighborhood where they live. They believe that black people are the problem with the world, and that the world might be a much better place if there were no black people. You are briefly given a reasoning for this belief, as you see Derek watch his father killed by a black drug dealer when Derek was very little. A white supremacist took Derek under his wing and brought him up with his Neo-Nazi ideals.

You also learn why Derek is in jail, through the retelling of his brother Danny in a narrative. Three black men attempt to break into Derek's car and he is alerted and heads outside with a pistol drawn. He gets two out of the three with shots, killing one and wounding another. What follows is one of the most graphic sequences ever depicted on film, in which he forces the wounded man to place his teeth on the curb and Derek stomps on the back of his head, killing him.

However, Derek is required to face his beliefs when he heads off to prison. He learns very quickly that there is no place for his beliefs, and ironically befriends a black man when they are forced to share laundry duty together. When his old history teacher visits and tells him that Danny is headed down the same path, Derek vows to change his ways for good when he gets out and move himself and his brother far away from the mess that he has made.

He is released and meets up with his girlfriend at a welcome home party. He asks her to move with her, but she refuses. He is also forced to face the man that taught him to be a white supremacist and tells him that this is no way to live. He and his brother leave, and Danny is able to finish the paper which you hear as the narration for the ending of the film.

The movie ends with Danny being shot in the bathroom at school by a black kid. Edward Norton (Derek) and Edward Furlong (Danny) bring this powerful story to light. "American History X" is a depiction in the difference between being right and believing that you are right. It is a statement of how far some people are willing to go to prove one way or another.

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