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American History X

1998

Tony Kaye

Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Fairuza Balk, Stacy Keach ...

8.3

153,933

Drama Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) is a Southern Californian skinhead who must do time after committing a hateful murder. Once in jail, his mind opens and he sees the error of his ways. Upon reentering the real world, he must now turn his attentions to his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong), who is swiftly heading down the same path as his brother.

	Author	Review
	Kenneth Turan	"Though well-intentioned, turns out to be a simplistic and unconvincing look at a serious problem"	NEU
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"I must be clear. This is a good and powerful film. If I am dissatisfied, it is because it contains the promise of being more than it is (... )Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Janet Maslin The New York Times	"[It] has enough fiery acting and provocative bombast to make its impact felt (...) [It] knows which raw nerves to hit."	POS
United States	Gene Siskel Chicago Reader	"A shockingly powerful screed against racism that also manages to be so well performed and directed that it is entertaining as well"	POS
United Kingdom	Adam Smith Empire	"This is a terrifying look at the humanity implicit in hatred. Flawed, but fascinating (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Paul Tatara CNN	"Too black and white (...) Predictable soap-boxing"	NEG
United States	Michael O'Sullivan The Washington Post	"Arrestingly photographed, and boasting another intelligent and muscular performance by the chameleon-like Edward Norton"	POS
United States	Joshua Klein AV Club	"There may be much to like about his movie, but it's all been done before to more challenging degrees of moral ambiguity. That's a pretty fatal flaw."	NEG
United States	Todd McCarthy Variety	"[It] digs to uncommon depths in examining the roots of prejudice and the wages of hate-inspired violence."	POS
United States	Mike Clark USA Today	"While this movie is sometimes overbaked, it is the first major studio release in a while to engross wall-to-wall (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Mick LaSalle SFGATE	"As a visit to a world and a way of life most of us will never experience, 'American History X' is vivid, and it feels honest. At the very least, it's not typical"	POS
United States	Village Voice	"A mess of a film"	POS

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