Tony Kaye – ‘American History X’
In 1998, Tony Kaye made his directorial debut with the astonishing American History X, in which Edward Norton and Edward Furlong star as two Californian brothers who become involved in a neo-Nazi, white power skinhead movement. The film, written by David McKenna, remains one of the most shocking and evocative moments of cinema in recent memory.
The movie charts the descent of Derek Vinyard (Norton) into neo-Nazi belief. His father had previously been shot and killed by a black drug dealer while putting out a house fire, which racially enrages Derek and leads him to the path of local neo-Nazi leader Cameron Alexander and his white supremacist gang, the Disciples of Christ. Eventually, Derek kills two black men who had been attempting to steal his vehicle and is sentenced to serve three years in prison.
While Derek serves time, his younger brother Danny, who completely idolises him, also finds his way into the very same movement and the allure of Cameron’s rhetoric. However, time in prison changes Derek; he’s raped by members of a white supremacist sect of inmates, his former neo-Nazi associates never visit him, and his befriending of a black prisoner named Lamont forces him to reflect on his prior beliefs and denounce them as futile.
Unfortunately, when Derek is released, he finds that Danny himself has been converted to his former ways under the tutelage of the D.O.C. The newly-changed Derek urges Danny to leave the group, and although he is initially met with resistance, his adoring brother abides. Sadly, the consequences of both brothers’ former beliefs and actions result in horrific consequences.
There’s a sense of authenticity to Kaye’s film, even though it is admittedly dramatic in its approach to storytelling. It is certainly easy to tell that David McKenna had been inspired by his own experiences growing up in the vitriolic San Diego punk rock scene, and the fact that he interviewed a number of skinheads during the writing process pays dividends in the resultant film. The beauty of American History X is that it tells a genuine story whilst retaining the theatrical intensity expected of the cinematic medium.
That dualism of intense drama and genuine narrative plays out mostly in the brilliance of the acting. Norton plays both his parts (the initially misguided young man and the subsequent repentant adult) with an unbridled severity and Furlong admirably portrays his younger brother with an undoubted garnering of sympathy. Equally impressive is the neo-Nazi background cast, almost reminiscent in some ways of the true-to-life, barely-fictional additions to Harmony Korine’s Kids, simultaneously affable yet scorn-worthy.
While that theatrical quality is what elevates the film into excellence, so too does Kaye’s direction and cinematography. The use of a black-and-white filter in sequences that occur in the past lends them a nostalgic outlook; we reflect on previous events to better understand the present, which, in line with the title of the film, is the very motive of the study of history itself. Close-up shots give that dramatic intensity all the more purpose, and the vibrant colour of present-day California is almost maddeningly hot, symbolic perhaps of the anger that rages (or once raged) within Kaye’s characters.
American History X is a perfect case study of the dangerous allure of right-wing rhetoric. Derek’s path to hatred may appear a little unnuanced at times, but it’s thankfully overshadowed by his regret, his contrition and his eventual attempts to educate his younger brother. Kaye’s film is genuinely harrowing, especially during some of its darkest and most unholy moments, and it ought to be an instant addition to any cinema fan’s watchlist.
