Living a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who id... Read allLiving a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.Living a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 15 nominations total
- Little Henry
- (as Jason Bose-Smith)
- Chris
- (as Keram Malicki-Sanchez)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaEdward Norton turned down Saving Private Ryan (1998) to do this film. He and Tom Hanks were both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor; neither won.
- GoofsIn the opening scene, Derek fires 24 shots without reloading from a Ruger P94, which could hold no more than 10 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.
- Quotes
Bob Sweeney: There was a moment, when I used to blame everything and everyone for all the pain and suffering and vile things that happened to me, that I saw happen to my people. Used to blame everybody. Blamed White people, blamed society, blamed God. I didn't get no answers 'cause I was asking the wrong questions. You have to ask the right questions.
Derek Vinyard: Like what?
Bob Sweeney: Has anything you've done made your life better?
- Alternate versionsThe New Line Cinema DVD features three deleted scenes:
- A scene in which an elderly black woman is harassed and made to cry on the boardwalk by a bunch of teenage skinheads.
- A scene after the "party", in which Cameron and Seth go to a café and discuss Derek's change. They then harass a black guy/white girl couple, and then leave. A car is waiting outside, in which several black men watch them leave, before going after them. One black man inside the car remarks "Somebody's gonna get their ass whipped." The aftermath is not shown, but we later learn that Cameron and Seth were attacked.
- A brief scene in the café near the end in which Derek winks at a little black girl and asks her if he looks okay.
- ConnectionsEdited into American History X: Deleted Scenes (1998)
- SoundtracksBattle Hymn of the Republic
(circa 1856) (uncredited)
Music by William Steffe
Lyrics by Julia Ward Howe (1862)
Sung a cappella by Ethan Suplee with modified lyrics
I really loved Norton's performance here as Derek, but when it comes to the film's exploration of racism, its reasons, and why someone might turn away from it, I felt I wasn't learning anything new. In the scenes that provide background for why Derek is a skinhead, the blacks are portrayed as, overall, not characters I'd define as admirable (the basketball scene, breaking into his car, the general tone and feel of his introduction to prison).
When Derek is a skinhead, he is articulate in defense of his views, which are quite detailed. His firefighter father is killed by a black drug dealer in the line of duty - He was putting out a fire at the dealer's house. This does not improve Derek's mood. In spite of his intelligence and leadership qualities he can suddenly lose control, and become violent, and this leads to actions out of all proportion to the situation - killing two black men who were breaking into his car - that put him in prison for three years.
In prison is where Derek reverses course, but the reasons seem rather shallow. It boils down to being exposed to and befriending one funny likeable black guy that he works with in the prison laundry and two other very prison specific situations. Given the ardent nature of Derek's racism, it is hard to believe that this alone would turn him around or keep him turned around once he left prison and is out in the world again among his old influences.
Its good points? It shows that such virulent racism can happen in normal families, to pretty normal looking people who have met with some tragedies and want to blame the "other". It also shows that change can occur through education - Once out of the Aryan brotherhood group in prison, Derek spends his time reading. I'd recommend this one, just understand there is lots of violence, sexual content, and strong language. It will never be on TV - It would only be 20 minutes long!
- AlsExGal
- Feb 3, 2024
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Fatalni kurs X
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $20,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,719,864
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $156,076
- Nov 1, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $23,875,714
- Runtime1 hour 59 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1