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American History X

1998 1h 59m
Drama
MOVIEVIBE Rating
8.3/10
12,884 reviews
Your Rating
American History X

Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.

"Some legacies must end."

Top Billed Cast

Edward Norton
Edward Norton
Derek
Edward Furlong
Edward Furlong
Danny
Beverly D'Angelo
Beverly D'Angelo
Doris
Jennifer Lien
Jennifer Lien
Davina
Ethan Suplee
Ethan Suplee
Seth
Fairuza Balk
Fairuza Balk
Stacey
Avery Brooks
Avery Brooks
Sweeney
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould
Murray

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

T tmdb15435519 Verified TMDB Critic
2021-04-15

Despite having a somewhat weak cast, this is an incredibly poignant drama of one man's struggle to live a new life. Probably too violent and close-to-home for some....

A Andre Gonzales Verified TMDB Critic
2023-04-16

There's really no point to the movie. Just a lot of violence. That's pretty much it....

G GenerationofSwine Verified TMDB Critic
2025-12-04

You could use this as a skinhead recruitment film because it failed so miserably in the message it was trying to push, and it failed miserably because they were too concerned about pushing the message that they forgot how they were framing the film.

So a bunch of skinheads win a turf war basketball game, to stop the gang violence around the basketball courts, and then one of the Black people on the losing side tries to steal the car of one of the skinheads. And then the skinhead goes to jail for killing him. Then we have a flashback where the skinhead argues that Affirmative Action policie...

C CinemaSerf Verified TMDB Critic
2026-07-01

"Danny" (Edward Furlong) isn't making much progress at school so his teacher "Sweeney" (Avery Brooks) gives him a project. He is to document the life of his elder brother "Derek" (Edward Norton) whom he adores. "Derek" was a neo-Nazi - and an active one at that who has only recently been released from prison for killing two men who tried to steal his car, but after spending time behind bars he has begun to question his hitherto unshakeable belief in the supremancy of white people and so once free determines to escape the toxic and somewhat hypocritical grip of "Cam" (Stacy Keach). It's "Danny"...