American History X (1998)
8.327 /10
12353 Reviews
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Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. 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.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Derek
... Danny
... Doris
... Davina
... Seth
User reviews
Despite having a somewhat weak cast, this is an incredibly poignant drama of one man's struggle to live a new life. Probably too violent and close-to-home for some.
Director:
Writer:
David McKenna (Screenplay)
Genres:
Release Date:
1998-07-01
Run Time:
119 min
MMPA Rating:
R
Reviews of
American History X
Despite having a somewhat weak cast, this is an incredibly poignant drama of one man's struggle to live a new life. Probably too violent and close-to-home for some.
There's really no point to the movie. Just a lot of violence. That's pretty much it.
You could use this as a skinhead recruitment film because it failed so miserably in the message it was trying to push, and it failed miserably because they were too concerned about pushing the message that they forgot how they were framing the film.
So a bunch of skinheads win a turf war basketball game, to stop the gang violence around the basketball courts, and then one of the Black people on the losing side tries to steal the car of one of the skinheads. And then the skinhead goes to jail for killing him. Then we have a flashback where the skinhead argues that Affirmative Action policies that put race before merit are racist because they put race before merit... to presumably illistrate how evil he is. Then his brother reads "Mein Kampf" for a book report and has to write a history paper titled American History X to teach him not to read books that should be banned... like the ACTUAL Nazis banned books. I mean that's not very free speech of them to tell people what they can or can't read. And before he turns it in, he gets killed by a Black kid, involved in the gangs, who took a gun into school.
Too often in the film you get those moments where you have to stop and think "Why do the Neo-Nazis look like the good guys in comparison?" That's not what they were trying to do, at least I hope it wasn't, but it certainly was what they succeeded in doing.
It's clearly supposed to tell you how the skinheads are the bad guys, I mean that was the intended message... but it doesn't really succeed in that, in fact it kind of makes the good guys, more often than not, with the exception of the prison scene... and people love it.
And people love it. That raises a pretty serious question, do they love it for the message that they tried to push and failed miserably at, resulting in the movie making Neo-Nazis out to be the better of two evils more often than not, or do they love it because they faild miserably at making the Neo-Nazis out to be evil?
It's sort of like "The Thin Red Line" where they pushed the leftwing message so hard that they made Americans seem like the bad guys in World War II.... when we were fighting actual Nazis and serious Japanese war criminals. They over did American History X on the narrative and because of that the message got lost in delivery.
You could use this as a skinhead recruitment film because it failed so miserably in the message it was trying to push, and it failed miserably because they were too concerned about pushing the message that they forgot how they were framing the film.
So a bunch of skinheads win a turf war basketball game, to stop the gang violence around the basketball courts, and then one of the Black people on the losing side tries to steal the car of one of the skinheads. And then the skinhead goes to jail for killing him. Then we have a flashback where the skinhead argues that Affirmative Action policies that put race before merit are racist because they put race before merit... to presumably illistrate how evil he is. Then his brother reads "Mein Kampf" for a book report and has to write a history paper titled American History X to teach him not to read books that should be banned... like the ACTUAL Nazis banned books. I mean that's not very free speech of them to tell people what they can or can't read. And before he turns it in, he gets killed by a Black kid, involved in the gangs, who took a gun into school.
Too often in the film you get those moments where you have to stop and think "Why do the Neo-Nazis look like the good guys in comparison?" That's not what they were trying to do, at least I hope it wasn't, but it certainly was what they succeeded in doing.
It's clearly supposed to tell you how the skinheads are the bad guys, I mean that was the intended message... but it doesn't really succeed in that, in fact it kind of makes the good guys, more often than not, with the exception of the prison scene... and people love it.
And people love it. That raises a pretty serious question, do they love it for the message that they tried to push and failed miserably at, resulting in the movie making Neo-Nazis out to be the better of two evils more often than not, or do they love it because they faild miserably at making the Neo-Nazis out to be evil?
It's sort of like "The Thin Red Line" where they pushed the leftwing message so hard that they made Americans seem like the bad guys in World War II.... when we were fighting actual Nazis and serious Japanese war criminals. They over did American History X on the narrative and because of that the message got lost in delivery.
You could use this as a skinhead recruitment film because it failed so miserably in the message it was trying to push, and it failed miserably because they were too concerned about pushing the message that they forgot how they were framing the film.
So a bunch of skinheads win a turf war basketball game, to stop the gang violence around the basketball courts, and then one of the Black people on the losing side tries to steal the car of one of the skinheads. And then the skinhead goes to jail for killing him. Then we have a flashback where the skinhead argues that Affirmative Action policies that put race before merit are racist because they put race before merit... to presumably illistrate how evil he is. Then his brother reads "Mein Kampf" for a book report and has to write a history paper titled American History X to teach him not to read books that should be banned... like the ACTUAL Nazis banned books. I mean that's not very free speech of them to tell people what they can or can't read. And before he turns it in, he gets killed by a Black kid, involved in the gangs, who took a gun into school.
Too often in the film you get those moments where you have to stop and think "Why do the Neo-Nazis look like the good guys in comparison?" That's not what they were trying to do, at least I hope it wasn't, but it certainly was what they succeeded in doing.
It's clearly supposed to tell you how the skinheads are the bad guys, I mean that was the intended message... but it doesn't really succeed in that, in fact it kind of makes the good guys, more often than not, with the exception of the prison scene... and people love it.
And people love it. That raises a pretty serious question, do they love it for the message that they tried to push and failed miserably at, resulting in the movie making Neo-Nazis out to be the better of two evils more often than not, or do they love it because they faild miserably at making the Neo-Nazis out to be evil?
It's sort of like "The Thin Red Line" where they pushed the leftwing message so hard that they made Americans seem like the bad guys in World War II.... when we were fighting actual Nazis and serious Japanese war criminals. They over did American History X on the narrative and because of that the message got lost in delivery.
You could use this as a skinhead recruitment film because it failed so miserably in the message it was trying to push, and it failed miserably because they were too concerned about pushing the message that they forgot how they were framing the film.
So a bunch of skinheads win a turf war basketball game, to stop the gang violence around the basketball courts, and then one of the Black people on the losing side tries to steal the car of one of the skinheads. And then the skinhead goes to jail for killing him. Then we have a flashback where the skinhead argues that Affirmative Action policies that put race before merit are racist because they put race before merit... to presumably illistrate how evil he is. Then his brother reads "Mein Kampf" for a book report and has to write a history paper titled American History X to teach him not to read books that should be banned... like the ACTUAL Nazis banned books. I mean that's not very free speech of them to tell people what they can or can't read. And before he turns it in, he gets killed by a Black kid, involved in the gangs, who took a gun into school.
Too often in the film you get those moments where you have to stop and think "Why do the Neo-Nazis look like the good guys in comparison?" That's not what they were trying to do, at least I hope it wasn't, but it certainly was what they succeeded in doing.
It's clearly supposed to tell you how the skinheads are the bad guys, I mean that was the intended message... but it doesn't really succeed in that, in fact it kind of makes the good guys, more often than not, with the exception of the prison scene... and people love it.
And people love it. That raises a pretty serious question, do they love it for the message that they tried to push and failed miserably at, resulting in the movie making Neo-Nazis out to be the better of two evils more often than not, or do they love it because they faild miserably at making the Neo-Nazis out to be evil?
It's sort of like "The Thin Red Line" where they pushed the leftwing message so hard that they made Americans seem like the bad guys in World War II.... when we were fighting actual Nazis and serious Japanese war criminals. They over did American History X on the narrative and because of that the message got lost in delivery.
You could use this as a skinhead recruitment film because it failed so miserably in the message it was trying to push, and it failed miserably because they were too concerned about pushing the message that they forgot how they were framing the film.
So a bunch of skinheads win a turf war basketball game, to stop the gang violence around the basketball courts, and then one of the Black people on the losing side tries to steal the car of one of the skinheads. And then the skinhead goes to jail for killing him. Then we have a flashback where the skinhead argues that Affirmative Action policies that put race before merit are racist because they put race before merit... to presumably illistrate how evil he is. Then his brother reads "Mein Kampf" for a book report and has to write a history paper titled American History X to teach him not to read books that should be banned... like the ACTUAL Nazis banned books. I mean that's not very free speech of them to tell people what they can or can't read. And before he turns it in, he gets killed by a Black kid, involved in the gangs, who took a gun into school.
Too often in the film you get those moments where you have to stop and think "Why do the Neo-Nazis look like the good guys in comparison?" That's not what they were trying to do, at least I hope it wasn't, but it certainly was what they succeeded in doing.
It's clearly supposed to tell you how the skinheads are the bad guys, I mean that was the intended message... but it doesn't really succeed in that, in fact it kind of makes the good guys, more often than not, with the exception of the prison scene... and people love it.
And people love it. That raises a pretty serious question, do they love it for the message that they tried to push and failed miserably at, resulting in the movie making Neo-Nazis out to be the better of two evils more often than not, or do they love it because they faild miserably at making the Neo-Nazis out to be evil?
It's sort of like "The Thin Red Line" where they pushed the leftwing message so hard that they made Americans seem like the bad guys in World War II.... when we were fighting actual Nazis and serious Japanese war criminals. They over did American History X on the narrative and because of that the message got lost in delivery.
Cast & Crew of
American History X
Cast
... Derek
... Danny
... Doris
... Davina
... Seth
... Stacey
... Sweeney
... Murray
... Cameron
... Dennis
... Lamont
... Rasmussen
... Little Henry
... Lawrence
... Mitch McCormick
... Chris
... Jason
... Lizzy
... Jerome
... Daryl Dawson
... Huge Aryan
... Curtis
... McMahon
... Cop #2
... Kammi
... Dr. Aguilar
... Ally Vinyard
... Cassandra
... Reporter
... Desk Sergeant
... Buddy #1
... Randy
... Guard
... Young Ally
... Lawrence's Partner
... Student
... Random Skinhead
... Stocky Buddy
... Basketball Player
... White Supremicist (uncredited)
... Skinhead (uncredited)
... Prison Gang Leader (uncredited)
... Parking Lot Skinhead (uncredited)
... Young Danny Vinyard (uncredited)
... Skinhead Girlfriend (uncredited)
... Student (uncredited)
... Student Leaving Bathroom (uncredited)
... Jail Inmate (uncredited)
... Arresting Officer (uncredited)
... Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)
Crew
... Director
... Producer
... Original Music Composer
... Editor
... Editor
... Casting
... Screenplay
... Stunt Coordinator
... Stunts
... Executive Producer
... Co-Executive Producer
... Co-Producer
... Co-Producer
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Co-Executive Producer
... Art Direction
... Art Direction
... Construction Coordinator
... Construction Foreman
... Location Scout
... Painter
... Production Design
... Set Decoration
... Camera Operator
... Steadicam Operator
... Still Photographer
... Costume Design
... Costume Supervisor
... Hairstylist
... Makeup Artist
... Seamstress
... Wigmaker
... Chef
... Craft Service
... Driver
... Post Production Supervisor
... Set Medic
... Set Production Assistant
... Stunt Coordinator
... Stunts
... Transportation Captain
... Transportation Co-Captain
... Transportation Coordinator
... Unit Publicist
... Script Supervisor
... Color Timer
... First Assistant Editor
... Best Boy Electric
... Electrician
... Gaffer
... Rigging Gaffer
... Executive In Charge Of Post Production
... Executive In Charge Of Production
... Location Manager
... Production Accountant
... Production Coordinator
... Production Supervisor
... Boom Operator
... Music Editor
... Music Supervisor
... Orchestrator
... Sound Designer
... Sound Effects Editor
... Sound Engineer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Special Effects Supervisor
... Choreographer
... Scoring Mixer
... Unit Production Manager
... Production Controller
... Assistant Property Master
... Set Dresser
... Title Designer
... Camera Loader
... Dolly Grip
... Key Grip
... Grip
... Key Costumer
... Pilot
... First Assistant Director
... Second Assistant Director
... Chief Lighting Technician
... Assistant Production Coordinator
... Casting Assistant
... ADR Supervisor
... Assistant Sound Editor
... Foley Editor
... Musician
... Stunts
... Visual Effects
... Director of Photography
... Stunts
... Production Sound Mixer
... Dialogue Editor
... Dialogue Editor
... Dialogue Editor
... Dialogue Editor
... Dialogue Editor
... Foley Editor
... Property Master
... Foley Mixer
... Foley Artist
... Foley Artist
... Foley Artist
... ADR Mixer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Stunt Coordinator
... Stunt Coordinator
... Scenic Artist
... Leadman
... On Set Dresser
... Special Effects
... First Assistant "B" Camera
... Second Assistant "B" Camera
... Second Assistant "A" Camera
... "A" Camera Operator
... First Assistant "A" Camera
... Casting Coordinator
... Costumer
... First Assistant Accountant
... Post Production Accountant
... Studio Teacher
... Production Secretary
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Second Second Assistant Director
... Additional Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Stunt Double
... Additional Second Assistant Camera
... Assistant Camera
... Best Boy Grip
... Assistant Editor
... Post Production Coordinator
... Assistant Location Manager
... Music Coordinator
... Extras Casting
... Extras Casting Assistant
... General Manager
... Payroll Accountant
... Production Executive
Videos & Photos of
American History X
Videos (1)
![American History X (1998) Original Trailer [HD]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/el6JxnW2Tyg/mqdefault.jpg)
Photos 12
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