there is nothing like american history x in theaters or on video . 
no other feature film takes such a cold hard look at the lure , the culture , and the brotherhood of white supremacy . 
nice guy ed norton jr . ( who sang in everyone says i love you ) plays derek , a twenty-year old skinhead . 
dad's subtle racism grew large in derek , after gang members killed his father . 
dad was fighting a fire when they shot him . 
now derek keeps his head shaved and has a giant swastika tattooed over his heart . 
derek is more interested in the ideas of white supremacy than in its culture of violence . 
at a basketball court , black and white tempers flare . 
derek channels the aggression into a game , black versus white , for ownership of the courts . 
when the choice presents itself , derek goes for game point instead of the sucker-punch . 
cameron ( stacy keach ) steps in to derek's life as a surrogate father . 
he takes derek under his wing and nurtures his racist feelings . 
keeping his own criminal record spotless , he uses derek as a leader and organizer for high-visibility racial intimidation . 
derek obliges by leading his younger and dumber friends in race-motivated mob crimes . 
at the bottom of the chain , derek's younger brother danny ( edward furlong , made famous in terminator 2 ) joins the skinheads not for ideological or intellectual reasons , but because he admires his brother and he wants to belong . 
one night three black youths break into derek's truck , which is exactly what derek has been waiting for . 
outside in his shorts and his tattoo , he shoots them all . 
the third would-be thief , unarmed , is only wounded . 
in the key scene of the film , derek commands the kid into a position where he can be killed with one glorious , enraptured , awful stomp . 
 ( the fun-spoiling nc-17 of orgazmo seems even more inappropriate , considering american history x was rated r . what sort of country is this that says sex comedies are a bigger threat to our youth than brutal , ecstatic violence ? ) 
the police arrive just as derek kills the last thief . 
derek does not resist the cops , and as they spin him around to cuff him , the film slows down . 
derek raises his eyebrows and smiles at his little brother in a chilling , sadistic , satisfied grin . 
now in prison , derek faces new challenges . 
as the black man in the laundry tells him , " in the joint , you the nigra , not me . " 
there is a clique of swastika-wearing skinheads , but they are not interested in the ideology of white supremacy . 
they only use the symbols as a means of intimidation . 
derek finds himself truly alone , truly in danger , and truly afraid . 
when derek finally gets out of prison , he finds that his friends from the gang have also changed . 
without derek's leadership , they have shunned the white supremacist ideology for the white supremacist culture . 
it is the final factor that makes him realize how badly he's screwed up . 
in the end , he spends quality time with is brother trying to undo the respect and admiration he had earlier inspired in danny . 
the film ends a little too deliberately , too neatly after the unchained emotion and violent glee of the rest of the film , but it barely detracts from the overall experience . 
edward norton gives an oscar-worthy performance . 
although some of his dialogue seemed to be written without enough conviction , norton's performance compensated . 
 ( an example that comes to mind is his pep talk before looting the store . ) 
he also captured the essence of an older brother . 
he took his responsibility as a role model to his younger brother very seriously , very lovingly , both before and after his change of heart . 
though clearly not for all tastes , this film is bold and daring . 
the subject matter is ugly , cruel , and at times hard to look at . 
nevertheless its subjects are part of humanity's great face . 
kaye gives us a good look at this fascinating , if distasteful , american subculture .