Derek Vinyard has had a tormented life. His father was murdered while he was a teenager and Derek's life changed completely. He became the leader of a Nazi group in Venice Beach, California. After a horrible crime is committed Derek is sent to prison. He leaves with his mother Doris (Beverly D'Angelo), his sister Davina (Jennifer Lien), and his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong). Three years later when Derek is released from prison, he comes home to see a shaved head Nazi Danny. Derek has been reformed due to the hardships while incarcerated and is appalled with how corrupt Danny has become. He tries desperately to change his brother as he shocks his former friends with his reformed self that sets off a night long event of neo-Nazism partying.
             The only negative part of the film is that it leaves you feeling somewhat unsatisfied. Director Tony Kaye did not have enough time on his hands. Derek's immediate conversion to be a reformed Nazi was way too convenient in the script. I think the movie would have been more complete if it showed more of his prison life and more of his changing, reformed steps while in the pen.
             American History X is a powerful film that lets it viewers see racism from both sides. The movie doesn't take a minimal aspect on letting its viewers know the skinhead lifestyle; it lets you know in full detail. Beatings, gang rallies, raids, white vs. black basketball games, and much more constitute how Kaye dives deep into the Nazi world.
             This film is brutal. The Nazi scenes are violent, bloody, and hateful just as are the prison scenes. The movie is nothing but a message. It deals with race and how we shouldn't base someone precisely on the color of their skin, but what they are inside. Edward Furlong (Danny) gives a performance that is out of nowhere, exceptional. It's the story through his eyes, what he sees, and what
             ...