American History X (1998)

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

Stars:

Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo

Top Rated Movies #32 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

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

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, Danny Vineyard's 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.

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Plot Keywords:

neo nazi | prison | jail | hatred | tearjerker | 

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Taglines:

United by hate, divided by truth.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic brutal violence including rape, pervasive language, strong sexuality and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

American History X

Filming Locations:

2206 Meade Place, Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$156,076, 1 November 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$6,719,864

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,875,127

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema,Savoy Pictures,The Turman-Morrissey Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min 101 min (workprint)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the midst of the dispute about the time he was taking to edit the film, Director Tony Kaye attended a meeting with Michael De Luca (then New Line's senior product president). Kaye arranged for a Jewish Rabbi, a Catholic priest and a Buddhist monk to be present at the meeting to support his argument and "make the meeting a more spiritual one".

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Goofs

During the basketball game, a member of the crowd is present and then is not there between shots.

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Quotes

[Danny walks in on Derek and Stacey having sex]
Danny Vinyard: [whispering] Der. Derek.
Stacey: [Stacy sees Danny in the room] Jesus, Danny! Fuckin' perv.
Derek Vinyard: Jesus, Danny. What the fuck are you thinking?
Danny Vinyard: Derek, there's a black guy out there breaking into your car.
Derek Vinyard: How many Danny? How many?
[Derek quickly pulls on white boxers and black combat boots]
Danny Vinyard: One I think.
Derek Vinyard: Is he strapped?
Danny Vinyard: Huh?
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Message in a Bottle/My Favorite Martian/Children of Heaven/Blast from the Past/God Said, 'Ha!' (1999)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Controversial, yet very amazing & moving film

When I first heard of "American History X," I thought it was going to be "just another movie." Man, was I wrong! The first time I watched it, I sat there as it ended, and I was just completely in a state of shock. This movie, more than any other movie I had seen on the subject of racism, really made me think twice about how I treated people of a different race. The way that Derek Vinyard's family was almost completely split apart and destroyed due to his racist beliefs should be a wake-up call to those people who have any racist beliefs whatsoever. I believe that this movie was a whole lot more than just a ground-breaking, controversial drama; it was a portrayal of exactly how much damage can be done to a family and a nation simply because of the hate for a person or people of a different color, for almost no reason at all. The Bible says that "God created man in his own image." It also says to, "Love your neighbor as yourself," which, right there, implies that racism is not something people should even consider. I wouldn't recommend that anyone under the age of 16 see this movie due to its graphic content and language; however, I believe that everyone who is over the age of 16, should see this movie at least once. This way, more people will get a chance to see the true consequences of racism, and how it can easily tear apart a family.