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Edward Norton plays the role of Derek Vinyard, a smart
and angry young man who starts a skinhead group under the tutelage of
middle-aged racist, Cameron Alexander. After he kills two black teens
who were breaking into his car, Derek is sent to prison for three years.
When he gets out, he wants to start a new life away from Cameron and
the other skinheads. He also wants to protect his family, particularly
his younger brother Danny who has followed in his footsteps in joining
the skinheads. With the help of one of his former high school teachers,
Derek has seen the error of his ways, and now he wants out. But it's
not that easy.
Edward Norton is just brilliant in this film. It would've
been all too easy for him to portray Derek as a stereotypical skinhead
- not that smart, easily led, vulnerable to outside influences. Instead,
Derek is someone who listens to what he is told, but doesn't just swallow
it whole. He does his own research, and comes to his own conclusions.
Unfortunately, he equates change with violence, and it takes a violent
act committed against him in prison to see the error of his ways.
Norton as Derek is incredibly charismatic. When he discusses
his beliefs, it would be easy for the audience to agree with him, until
he erupts into violence. Only then do you question what he has said.
Derek was influenced by both his father (who died after being shot while
fighting a fire in a black neighborhood) and his mentor, Cameron Alexander.
Edward Furlong as Danny shows incredible range and skill.
In part of the film, Danny is a confident sixteen year old who is following
in his brother's footsteps. In other parts, he is a confused thirteen
year old who isn't really sure what to do. Furlong plays both ages well,
with a definite difference between the two.
In the parts of the film that take place after Derek is
out of prison, there is incredible tension. You know something is going
to happen to Derek and his family, but you are never sure what. Will
Derek be killed by his former gang? Will the family escape the neighborhood?
Will another family member be killed in a drive-by shooting by a member
of a black gang, looking for vengeance? This foreboding of violence
makes each small moment in the film that much more effective, and the
eventual outcome surprising.
This film generated a bit of controversy when it came out, as
the director Tony Kaye claimed that Edward Norton took over the editing
and made changes Kaye didn't agree with. Kaye subsequently fought to
remove his name from the picture and took out ads in trade publications
denouncing the film. I'm not sure if that controversy affected the box
office, but this film deserves more attention than it got.
I liked that this film didn't portray other races as all
good either. The cycle of violence was perpetuated by everyone. And
yet, there were good people in the movie of all skin colors. I think
the ultimate point was that people are not good or bad based on the
color of their skin, but on the content of their character. Many different
viewpoints were represented by the various characters, giving the viewer
a chance to see different sides of the story.
Ultimately, this film will stay with you for a long time
after viewing. Go out and rent it today. I give it a 9 out of 10. I
took a point off for Fairuza Balk, who really irritates me. |