Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay to Edward Norton is that his Oscar-nominated performance in American History X nearly convinces you that there is a shred of logic in the tenets of white supremacy. If that statement doesn't horrify you; it should; Norton is so fully immersed in his role as a neo-Nazi skinhead that his character's eloquent defense of racism is disturbingly persuasive--at least on the surface. Looking lean and mean with a swastika tattoo and a mind full of hate; Derek Vinyard (Norton) has inherited racism from his father; and that learning has been intensified through his service to Cameron (Stacy Keach); a grown-up thug playing tyrant and teacher to a growing band of disenfranchised teens from Venice Beach; California; all hungry for an ideology that fuels their brooding alienation.

The film's basic message--that hate is learned and can be unlearned--is expressed through Derek's kid brother; Danny (Edward Furlong); whose sibling hero-worship increases after Derek is imprisoned (or; in Danny's mind; martyred) for the killing of two black men. Lacking Derek's gift of rebel rhetoric; Danny is easily swayed into the violent; hateful lifestyle that Derek disowns during his thoughtful time in prison. Once released; Derek struggles to save his brother from a violent fate; and American History X partially suffers from a mix of intense emotions; awkward sentiment; and predictably inevitable plotting. And yet British director Tony Kaye (who would later protest against Norton's creative intervention during post-production) manages to juggle these qualities--and a compelling clash of visual styles--to considerable effect. No matter how strained their collaboration may have been; both Kaye and Norton can be proud to have created a film that addresses the issue of racism with dramatically forceful impact. --Jeff Shannon