history x

Derek Vinyard, a skinhead leader of a white-power organization utterly transformed by a spell in prison, was frightening and heartbreaking, angry and serene. I don't think I've ever seen a character in a film with a more believably wide range. In the hands of a less capable actor, Derek would have been a laughable parody, and American History X a heavy-handed disaster. But Derek never descended to stereotype, and X is a penetrating look at …

…hate is baggage.” This means that hate is nothing but something that puts a burden on one. It is always followed by negative comebacks and effects. I strongly agree with both clearly presented messages. The hatred that spews from Derek in the desolate black-and-white flashbacks, as I watched him recruit kids for the local white-power group and berated anyone who wasn’t a "white Protestant" was painfully raw, but it was never less than credible. ?