Certified K-Billy Top 20 Film
The Plot:
Edward Norton plays a skinhead convinced of white supremacy. He is the leader of a band of neo nazis. His world falls apart when he kills two african american men trying to steal his truck as retribution for an incident earlier in the day. Through his time spent in prison he realizes (throught brutal incidents) how misguided he was and vows to keep his younger brother from following in his footsteps of his uneeded hatred.
My Thoughts: (Reviewed by K-Billy)
Derek Vineyard (Edward Norton) is a skinhead convinced of white supremacy. He is the leader of a band of Neo Nazis. Through his passionate hate speech he converts many to the cause. However his world falls apart when he kills two African American men trying to steal his truck as retribution for an incident earlier in the day. Through his time spent in prison he realizes (through brutal incidents) how misguided he was and vows to keep his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) from following in the footsteps of his unnecessary hatred.
I can't really say whether I expected this film to turn out as good as it did but I certainly had high expectations. With an excellent cast and a subject that commands your attention I didn't see how it couldn't at least be a powerful film in some respect. However this film transcends that. With equal parts of it divided between black and white sequences of the past and color sequences of the present the viewer is provided with a full understanding of what was and what now is. Right from the beginning we are presented with a scene of brutality that sets the stage for the mood of the entire film. The murder of the two would be thieves of Derek's truck is as tragic as it is satisfying. Oddly enough this film didn't really choose one stance on it's subject. There are many sequences where one can almost find themselves relating with the racists and sympathizing. Such as the basketball game sequence where racially separated teams are playing for court rights. in such scenes as this African Americans are portrayed as easily angered, out of control and above all else the enemy. It's in this sense that it's sometimes hard to pull together your emotions and feelings about the story for you're pulled in so many directions during the course of the viewing.
As stated above this film benefits from some excellent performances. I've been an Edward Norton fan for some time because his performances are always consistently above and beyond good and after seeing Fight Club I now recognize him as one of the very best actors out there. Within this film Norton paints two pictures, one of a startlingly calculated racist and another of a tragic individual working to save his family. These separations are what make the performance extremely engaging. Norton’s portrayal of a skinhead is chilling. His scenes where hate speech and racism flow from his mouth are entirely convincing and command our attention to his on screen presence. Where as his reformed character is for the most part calm and much wiser. The other excellent performance in this film is that of Edward Furlong as the younger Danny. His portrayal of the little brother who looks up the oldest is dead on. In truth it's likely probable that any involvement that Danny has at all in the Nazi society is merely a result of him trying to impress his brother Derek. In this sense like his brother, his journey is tragic and draws sympathy from the viewer.
Where it would've been easier to
make this one of those feel good films that ultimately reaches a satisfying
close where everyone realizes their errors, the makers instead chose a different
route. The ending is altogether tragic and while you could say that conclusions
have been reached by those involved it is extremely uncertain as to what their
fate will be after the credits begin to role. Quite simply this is one of the
most powerful movies I've seen ever on the subject of racism and is an important
study into the hate among human beings.
Starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong
Directed By Tony Kaye
Rated R