♥♥♥♥♥
+ Best Big Flop Movie of the Year + Best Crime-Drama of the Year + Best Los Angeles Movie of the Year + Career-Killer of the Year: Tony Kaye
 |
| Provocative and troubling, Edward Norton stares straight at us from this dulled B/W poster for Tony Kaye's American History X with his hand on his swastika tattoo |
In the Venice area of Los Angeles, Derek Vinyard is released from prison after serving 3 years for killing two black robbers. His mission: To save his younger brother from repeating his own violent, hate-buoyed, neo-Nazi déroute.
American History X is a great film due to career-defining performances from Edward Norton (The Invention of Lying (2009)) and Edward Furlong (American Heart (1992)) in the central brother roles. Norton is dazzling at times and scary at others as the charismatic agitator and unfortunate rolemodel, and Furlong is perfect as the run-along, apathetic smaller brother.
American History X is a violent, shocking film, and it is loaded with scenes that are played to their maximum effect. It is also a strong and good drama, which has grown in reputation since its relatively small release to become a generational cornerstone film, and its high quality is only impeded by a few minor poor decisions in it.
The film is written by David McKenna (E-Ring (2005-06)) and directed by feature-debuting great English filmmaker Tony Kaye (Detachment (2011)).
Related posts:
1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Top 10: Best crime movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
 |
| Edward Norton painted as his character from a frightening moment in the film in the prime of his racial fanaticism |
Cost: 20 mil. $
Box office: 23.8 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.19 times its cost)
[American History X premiered 30 October (USA) and runs 119 minutes. Norton turned down a role in Saving Private Ryan (1998), gained 30 pounds of muscles and shaved his head, as Furlong also did, for the film. Shooting took place Los Angeles, California from March - May 1997. The production was beleaguered, as Kaye became so upset with script changes instigated by Norton and Furlong that he took out a Variety ad about it and then unsuccessfully tried to have his name removed from the film. - The Alan Smithee anonymous name reserved by the DGA for such instances was not granted, because Kaye had breached the rule that a director using the name cannot have spread stories of why he wanted the ghost name. His edit of the film was 96 minutes, but the studio and Norton were unsatisfied and took over. Kaye's rage then targeted the studio (New Line Cinema) and their edit, and he reportedly sued them and the DGA for misuse of his name to the tune of 275 mil. $, a suit which was rejected in court in 2000. Kaye disowned the film and was marked in Hollywood for his behavior, which strongly limited his future opportunities. The release was delayed due to all of this but eventually opened to a 156k $ first weekend in 17 theaters, peaked at #13 and in 512 theaters, grossing 6.7 mil. $ (28.2 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this one. The film was nominated for 1 Oscar: Best Actor (Norton), lost to Roberto Benigni for Life Is Beautiful. IMDb's users have voted into the site's Top 250 list at #33, sitting between Interstellar (2014) and Psycho (1960). Kaye returned with 4 video and documentary projects before B/W war movie Lobby Lobster (2007), which nearly no-one has seen. Norton returned in Fight Club (1999); Furlong in Detroit Rock City (1999). American History X is certified fresh at 83 % with a 7.33/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of American History X?
No comments:
Post a Comment