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IMDbPro

American History X

  • 19981998
  • RR
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
1.1M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
393
88
Edward Norton in American History X (1998)
Trailer for this intense drama
Play trailer2:25
2 Videos
99+ Photos
CrimeDrama
A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did.A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did.A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did.
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
1.1M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
393
88
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Tony Kaye
    • Writer
      • David McKenna
    • Stars
      • Edward Norton
      • Edward Furlong
      • Beverly D'Angelo
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Tony Kaye
    • Writer
      • David McKenna
    • Stars
      • Edward Norton
      • Edward Furlong
      • Beverly D'Angelo
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.6KUser reviews
    • 126Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
    Top rated movie #38
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 15 nominations total

    Videos2

    American History X
    Trailer 2:25
    American History X
    American History X
    Trailer 2:26
    American History X

    Photos449

    Edward Furlong and Edward Norton in American History X (1998)
    Edward Norton in American History X (1998)
    Fairuza Balk and Edward Norton in American History X (1998)
    Edward Norton in American History X (1998)
    Edward Furlong in American History X (1998)
    Beverly D'Angelo, Edward Furlong, Elliott Gould, and Edward Norton in American History X (1998)
    Danny
    Derek & Danny
    Family Reunion
    Derek & Cameron
    Derek & Sweeney
    Derek & Doris

    Top cast

    Edit
    Edward Norton
    Edward Norton
    • Derek
    Edward Furlong
    Edward Furlong
    • Danny
    Beverly D'Angelo
    Beverly D'Angelo
    • Doris
    Jennifer Lien
    Jennifer Lien
    • Davina
    Ethan Suplee
    Ethan Suplee
    • Seth
    Fairuza Balk
    Fairuza Balk
    • Stacey
    Avery Brooks
    Avery Brooks
    • Sweeney
    Elliott Gould
    Elliott Gould
    • Murray
    Stacy Keach
    Stacy Keach
    • Cameron
    William Russ
    William Russ
    • Dennis
    Guy Torry
    Guy Torry
    • Lamont
    Joe Cortese
    Joe Cortese
    • Rasmussen
    Jason Bose Smith
    • Little Henry
    • (as Jason Bose-Smith)
    Antonio David Lyons
    Antonio David Lyons
    • Lawrence
    Alex Sol
    Alex Sol
    • Mitch McCormick
    Keram Malicki-Sánchez
    Keram Malicki-Sánchez
    • Chris
    • (as Keram Malicki-Sanchez)
    Giuseppe Andrews
    Giuseppe Andrews
    • Jason
    Michelle Christine White
    • Lizzy
    • Director
      • Tony Kaye
    • Writer
      • David McKenna
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Edward Norton turned down Saving Private Ryan (1998) to do this film.
    • Goofs
      In the opening scene, Derek fires 24 shots without reloading from a Ruger P94, which could hold no more than 10 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.
    • Quotes

      Bob Sweeney: There was a moment, when I used to blame everything and everyone for all the pain and suffering and vile things that happened to me, that I saw happen to my people. Used to blame everybody. Blamed White people, blamed society, blamed God. I didn't get no answers 'cause I was asking the wrong questions. You have to ask the right questions.

      Derek Vinyard: Like what?

      Bob Sweeney: Has anything you've done made your life better?

    • Alternate versions
      The New Line Cinema DVD features 3 deleted scenes:
      • A scene in which an elderly black woman is harassed and made to cry on the boardwalk by a bunch of teenage skinheads.
      • A scene after the "party", in which Cameron and Seth go to a café and discuss Derek's change. They then harass a black guy/white girl couple, and then leave. A car is waiting outside, in which several black men watch them leave, before going after them. One black man inside the car remarks "Somebody's gonna get their ass whipped." The aftermath is not shown, but we later learn that Cameron and Seth were attacked.
      • A brief scene in the café near the end in which Derek winks at a little black girl and asks her if he looks okay.
    • Connections
      Edited into American History X: Deleted Scenes (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Battle Hymn of the Republic
      (circa 1856) (uncredited)

      Music by William Steffe

      Lyrics by Julia Ward Howe (1862)

      Sung a cappella by Ethan Suplee with modified lyrics

    User reviews1.6K

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Beautiful film about how hatred will never resolve the problem
    The tragedy of evil is that in trying to stop it, you create it. So if you want to stop doing evil actions, you also have to stop seeing evil because to see evil you must project evil... therefore, you create evil. If you genuinely want to be moral, you got to make a counterintuitive move of giving up all morality. All of your moral rules give them all away. Only then you will truly be moral but if you go around touting your morality, and telling people how moral you are and how immoral they are, that immediately tells that you're not embodying your morality. A genuinely moral person would never do that because true morality is not based on rules, it's not a self-image that you adopt, it's not a list of 10 commandments that you follow. When you think you're so righteous and so moral, you will go and kill people in the name of your morality which is precisely what creates evil.
    helpful•36
    9
    • DanielStephens1988
    • Oct 22, 2019

    FAQ14

    • What events cause Derek to renounce his neo-Nazi views?
    • What happened to Seth and Cameron?
    • Is "American History X" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 20, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Warner Bros. (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Fatalni kurs X
    • Filming locations
      • Venice High School - 13000 Venice Boulevard, Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • New Line Cinema
      • Savoy Pictures
      • The Turman-Morrissey Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $6,719,864
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $156,076
      • Nov 1, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $23,875,127
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 59 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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