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A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did.

Director:

Tony Kaye

Writer:

David McKenna
Popularity
518 ( 68)
Top Rated Movies #38 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 14 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Norton ... Derek
Edward Furlong ... Danny
Beverly D'Angelo ... Doris
Jennifer Lien ... Davina
Ethan Suplee ... Seth Rya
Fairuza Balk ... Stacey
Avery Brooks ... Sweeney
Elliott Gould ... Murray
Stacy Keach ... Cameron
William Russ ... Dennis
Guy Torry ... Lamont
Joe Cortese ... Rasmussen
Jason Bose Smith Jason Bose Smith ... Little Henry (as Jason Bose-Smith)
Antonio David Lyons ... Lawrence
Alex Sol ... Mitch McCormick
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Storyline

Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for brutally killing two black men who tried to break into/steal his truck. Through his brother's, Danny Vineyard, narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did. Written by Nitesh D.(nmxpa7@msn.com)

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

neo nazi | prison | hatred | racism | jail | See All (373) »

Taglines:

Violence as a way of life. See more »

Genres:

Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic brutal violence including rape, pervasive language, strong sexuality and nudity | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The diner that Danny and Derek go to get breakfast at before Danny goes to school in the morning is the same diner that is used in The Big Lebowski (1998), during the infamous "toe" scene. It's located at Wilshire and Fairfax in Los Angeles and is called Johnie's Coffee Shop and is only open for filming. See more »

Goofs

Derek Vinyard would have been found guilty of the supermarket robbery once his fingerprints were in the system for the murder. Derek wore no gloves when he threw the register through the window. He clearly gave them a good palm print with fingertips.

(added) This may be true, perhaps in a TV crime/drama series. While it is possible latent hand and finger prints may be lifted from the cash register, it is not guaranteed. That is to say the texture of the register may not allow usable latent prints, or a lifted print would be of high enough quality for an electronic comparison. Most latent finger and hand prints are not conclusive, in any case. See more »

Quotes

Seth: Come in here Danny.
Danny Vinyard: Seth... Hey man you going to Cam's party tonight?
Seth: Is Davina's ass water tight?
Danny Vinyard: You're fuckin sick man.
Seth: Alright, relax let me ask you a few questions.
Danny Vinyard: I'm not in the mood I got a lot of homework to do.
Seth: Tell me some of the shit you've learned fuckass before I pistol whip you!
Danny Vinyard: Ok, I believe in death, destruction, chaos, filth, and greed!
Seth: Cut the shit Danny come on. Tell me what I wanna hear asshole.
Danny Vinyard: You mean that shit about your mother man?
[...]
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Alternate Versions

The version released with the certificate 'A' (Certificate #CFL/3/81/1999-MUM) in the city of Mumbai, India, the following was deleted:
  • During the sex scene between Derek and Stacey, Stacy's bare breasts were deleted.
  • Every instance of the word 'Motherfucker' was deleted.
  • The closeup of Derek forcing Lawrence to put his mouth on the curb was cut.
  • The nudity was cut and 50% of the rape of Derek was cut.
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Connections

Spoofed in American History X-Men (2014) See more »

Soundtracks

The White Man Marches On
by Johnny Rebel
[To the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic.]
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User Reviews

 
One of the most powerful movies I have ever seen.
19 July 2005 | by Boba_Fett1138See all my reviews

I was expecting a kind of a moralistic movie with an overly present, almost preaching like message. The movie however turned out to be extremely powerful mainly due to the professionalism it was made with.

The movie its story is told 'beautifuly' in black & white and color. The quite original directing from Tony Kaye gives the movie a nice visual style and certain atmosphere. The story itself isn't that complicated or extremely original on its own and perhaps at most points even predictable but the way the story is told is phenomenal. This is not a movie with an happy ending or a movie that provides a solution to the racial discrimination problems. It shows what is NOT the solution to the problems and that everything that is occurring is like a vicious circle. The movie does not give a hopeful message but instead shows the dangers and pain you're causing to yourself and your close environment when you're thinking as a white supremacist.

As an anti Neo-Nazi movie this movie works really powerful. I think that its a really good and important thing that this movie is often shown in classrooms.

Edward Norton is truly fantastic in his role. He is very well believable as a Neo-Nazi as well as the reformed person he later turns into in the movie. It's almost like he's playing 2 different characters and he does that so extremely well. Also really good was Edward Furlong who we all long had not seen in a big production. Furlong and Norton are both acting well together in their scene's are highly believable as two brothers.

Also surprising good was the musical score by Anne Dudley who had already won an Oscar for "The Full Monty", the year before.

This was a movie that surprisingly impressed me. As a movie its extremely powerful and important.

10/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1998 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

American History X See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$156,076, 1 November 1998

Gross USA:

$6,719,864

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,875,127
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (workprint)

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Color:

Color | Black and White (flashbacks)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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