Review of American History X (1998) by Spangle — 27 May 2014

Now this is a great film. Yes, it is dark, violent, and quite disturbing at times, but it is also powerful, moving, and important. Edward Norton is absolutely phenomenal. He takes this deeply troubled character who comes to realize what is truly going on his life and he knocks it out of the park. He was terrific and put the film on his shoulders and absolutely killed it. The director, Tony Kaye, while he wishes to distance himself from the final product, he did a great job as well. There was some beautiful imagery here and while it may not be the version he intended as the final cut, his vision absolutely is here and the messages it provokes is still powerful. Really, after watching this film, I felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks. The entire film is so moving and affecting that it really leaves you in a trance once it ends and the credits start rolling. On top of that, there are many powerful scenes, but none as powerful as the final one. It really leaves you on the brink of tears as you try to deal with what you just watched.

A truly mesmerizing character study with a heart and soul, American History X should absolutely be considered a "must watch" for all.