History Film / AmericanHistoryX

* AngryBlackMan: Sweeney says he was an angry young militant, admitting that he was [[NotSoDifferentRemark not so different]] from Derek in being consumed by hatred earlier in his life. While visiting Derek in prison, he admits that he knows that place all too well.

* LooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Perhaps. The character arc of Derek Vineyard bears some notable similarities with that of Frank Meeink, a real-life former neo-Nazi who also began to change his views while in prison, and some sources have described the film as loosely based on his story. However, the writer and director have never admitted to using Meeink's story as an inspiration, and Meeink was never consulted during the making of the film. Meeink has said his experience was a lot worse than what's shown in the film, but that he nonetheless thinks the film will do a lot of good in the world. [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/he-was-the-neo-nazi-who-inspired-american-history-x-his-nazi-pals-are-now-cops]]

* LooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Perhaps. The character of Derek Vineyard bears some notable similarities with that of real-life former neo-Nazi Frank Meeink, and some sources have described the film as loosely based on his story. However, the writer and director have never admitted to using Meeink's story as an inspiration, and Meeink was never consulted during the making of the film. Meeink has said the events of the film differ substantially from what he went through (and that his experience was a lot worse) so that he does not view it as an accurate depiction of his life. He has, however, said he thinks the film will do a lot of good in the world. [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/he-was-the-neo-nazi-who-inspired-american-history-x-his-nazi-pals-are-now-cops]]

* LooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Perhaps. The character of Derek Vineyard bears some notable similarities with that of real-life former neo-Nazi Frank Meeink, and some sources have described the film as loosely based on his story. However, the writer and director have never admitted to using Meeink's story as an inspiration, and Meeink was never consulted during the making of the film. Meeink has said the events of the film differ substantially from what he went through (namely that his experience was a lot worse) so that he does not view it as an accurate depiction of his life. He has, however, said he thinks the film will do a lot of good in the world. [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/he-was-the-neo-nazi-who-inspired-american-history-x-his-nazi-pals-are-now-cops]]

* LooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Perhaps. The character of Derek Vineyard bears some notable similarities with that of real-life former neo-Nazi Frank Meeink, and some sources have described the film as loosely based on his story. However, the writer and director have never admitted to using Meeink's story as their inspiration, and Meeink was never consulted during the making of the film. Meeink has said the events of the film differ substantially from his experience so that he does not see it as an accurate depiction of his story. He has, however, said he thinks the film will do a lot of good in the world.

* LooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Perhaps. The character of Derek Vineyard bears some notable similarities with that of real-life former neo-Nazi Frank Meeink, and some sources have described the film as loosely based on his story. However, the writer and director have never admitted to using Meeink's story as their inspiration, and Meeink was never consulted during the making of the film. Meeink has said the events of the film differ substantially from his experience so that he does not see it as an accurate depiction of himself.

* LooselyBasedOnTrueStory: Perhaps. The character of Derek Vineyard bears some notable similarities with that of real-life former neo-Nazi Frank Meeink, and some sources have described the film as loosely based on his story. However, the writer and director have never admitted to using Meeink's story as their inspiration, and Meeink was never consulted during the making of the film. Meeink has said the events of the film differ substantially from his experience so that he does not see it as an accurate depiction of himself.

* DownerEnding: Derek has abandoned his former neo-Nazi ways, but the racist Disciples Of Christ gang is still active and has now been incited by an assault that sent their leader Cameron to the ICU, while [[spoiler: Derek's little brother Danny was killed by a black kid less than a day after following Derek in renouncing neo-Nazism.]]

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The murder that lands Derek in prison -- paralyzing a black robber, then dragging him to the curb, placing his mouth against it, and then stomping on his head to kill him.

* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Avery Brooks as Dr. Robert Sweeney, who is willing to fight for the Vinyard brothers, in whom he sees echoes of his younger self.

* BigNo: Danny when he sees [[spoiler:Derek about to curb-stomp a man]]. He even tries to run out and stop him, but he's too late.

* CruelTwistEnding: [[spoiler: Derek renounces his racism and convinces Danny to do the same. They are later seen destroying Danny's neo-Nazi paraphernalia. It's headed for the inevitable HappyEnding it should have... Then the black kid Danny taunted earlier pops up out of nowhere [[note]]the novelization explains it as part of a gang initiation[[/note]] and murders Danny.]]

* CruelTwistEnding: [[spoiler: Derek renounces his racism and convinces Danny to do the same. They are later seen destroying Danny's neo-Nazi paraphernalia. It's headed for the inevitable HappyEnding it should have... Then the black kid Danny taunted earlier pops up out of nowhere and murders Danny!]]

* AngryBlackMan: Sweeney says he was an angry young militant, admitting that he was NotSoDifferent from Derek in being consumed by hatred earlier in his life. While visiting Derek in prison, he admits that he knows that place all too well.

* NotSoDifferent:
** The neo-Nazis and the black gangbangers. In particular, Danny and Henry. Both are raised in a gang subculture and both worship their brothers and try to emulate them.
** Derek realizes this about himself and Lamont in prison, which helps to deprogram him.
** Sweeney also says this is why he understands Derek so well. Sweeney actually successively hated white people, then all of society and finally God for all the bad things he saw happen to black people under a racist system. He eventually realized that hatred from whatever direction didn't solve anything, only contributed to the problem.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The murder that lands Derek in prison -- paralyzing a black robber, then dragging him to the curb, placing his mouth against it, and stomping on it.

Creator/EdwardNorton and Creator/EdwardFurlong star as brothers Derek and Danny Vinyard: both promising students who are drawn into involvement with a Neo-Nazi gang in California's multicultural Venice Beach area. The charismatic Derek is the leader of a racist gang and a hero to his young brother, until his trip to prison radically alters his previously held convictions. Derek is spurred to prevent Danny from going down the same terrible path he did.

* StepfordSmiler: Doris. Davina is much more willing to call her brothers and Seth out.

* CardCarryingVillain: {{Played for laughs}} in a rare moment of humor in the film. Seth asks Danny what he believes his creed as a neo-Nazi is. Danny sarcastically replies that he believes in "death, destruction, chaos, filth and greed!" Even his sister Davina has to laugh at this, but after more prompting by Seth, Danny then goes on a more articulate and genuinely vile racist rant, to which Davina responds how much it pains her to see her brother become like this.

** The gangsters themselves decided to barge onto Derek's property with guns and steal his father's car because he beat them in a basketball game. Derek was an openly racist jackass on the court, but the guys themselves were also Crips, so it's probably less about moral outrage and more about deciding to teach someone they consider an enemy a lesson.

** Henry's [[EstablishingCharacterMoment introduction scene]] is him and two older thugs beating up a white kid for allegedly ratting him out when he cheated off.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Derek loves his family. He turned to neo-Nazism from grief over his father. Even in his most militantly racist, he's around to "protect" his mother from a liberal, Jewish suitor. {{Deconstructed}}, as he may love his mother, but she despises his racist actions and spitefully tells him that [[IHaveNoSon she's ashamed he came out of her body]]. They reconcile later on as Derek loses his neo-Nazi ways, though.

* FanDisservice: The prison shower scenes show a lot of men nude, but the setting doesn't make it appealing in any way. One instance even ends in a PrisonRape on Derek. Before the prison sequence, Derek also spends a lot of screen time shirtless and parading around like a star athlete... but his giant swastika tattoo more than ruins his sex appeal.

* FormerBigot: Derek became the leader of a Neo-Nazi movement after his father was murdered by a black drug dealer. After serving a prison sentence for the revenge killing of a black home invader, and enduring a gang rape at the hands of the Aryan Brotherhood, Derek renounces his old ways after an old mentor leads him to an epiphany about his actions. When he gets out of prison, he also helps his brother Danny to break free from the movement before [[spoiler:Danny is murdered for a wholly separate incident by a teenager with ties to the local Crips chapter]]. Tragically, the alternate ending shows [[spoiler:Derek shaving his head again]].

* FreudianExcuse: Derek's father was an [[Series/AllInTheFamily Archie Bunker]]-style blue collar racist who plants the seeds for Derek's future political views. When his father is murdered by black gang members, Derek interprets this as an indication that his father's racial politics were right all along.

* GangstaStyle: Deconstructed. Ironically, Seth points a gun at Derek this way. Turns out to be as hilariously impractical as it is in RealLife, as Derek easily disarms him.

* IResembleThatRemark: Derek takes exception to his sister calling him "Mister KKK". He's not part of a low rent organization like TheKlan. He has ''class''. Danny's impressed.

* TheKlan: As a joke, the black prisoner Lamont holds up a piece of cloth as a Klansman's hood and mocks the DeepSouth hick stereotype associated with it. Earlier, Derek also dismisses them as a bunch of disorganized idiots and claims to have higher standards, despite how [[IResembleThatRemark "disorganized idiots" describes his own gang quite well]].
* KnightTemplar: Derek before he gets out of prison. He thinks he is absolutely right in spouting his racist ideology even when he organizes horrifying brutalities against minorities. By contrast, the Aryan Brotherhood are presented as {{straw hypocrite}}s who don't even care about their own ideology even as they remain violent scumbags. Which is largely the point that the film tries to get across. The reason destructive ideologies like white supremacy can become so powerful is because their adherents believe themselves to be the heroes, not the bad guys. ForTheEvulz is not a motive many real life humans actually use to justify their actions, especially to themselves.

* MenDontCry: Averted with Derek. Most men would cry after they've been put through a gang rape or [[spoiler:seeing their little brother's corpse immediately after he's been shot to death]], even (or especially) if they try to project a "tough guy" image.

%%* ParentWithNewParamour

* RousingSpeech: Derek gives a rousing and convincing speech about illegal Mexican immigrants, before the [[MoralEventHorizon attack on the grocery store]].

* SlasherSmile: Look at Stacey's expression when [[spoiler: Seth points his gun at Derek.]]

* StepfordSmiler: Doris. Davina is much more willing to call her brother out.

* WhatTheHellHero: After the party, Danny confronts Derek.

* BadassBystander: One employee tries to get a gun tonight back as the Aryans are terrorizing the store during the flashback, but he gets knocked out before he can do anything.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Danny shows some for Derek. This is inverted in the flashbacks, when Danny attacks Derek to stop him from hurting Davina during their fight in front of Mr. Murray.

Creator/EdwardNorton and Creator/EdwardFurlong star as brothers Derek and Danny Vinyard: both promising students who are drawn into involvement with a Neo-Nazi gang in California's multicultural Venice Beach area. The charismatic Derek is the leader of a racist gang and a hero to his young brother, until his trip to prison radically alters his previously held convictions. Derek is spurred to prevent Danny from going down the same path he did.

* AngryBlackMan: Sweeney says he was an [[ScaryBlackMan angry young man]], admitting that he was NotSoDifferent from Derek in being consumed by hatred earlier in his life. While visiting Derek in prison, he admits that he knows that place all too well.

* ScaryBlackMan: Sweeny implies to Derek that he was this in his own youth, to the point of being as consumed by rage against the world as Derek himself is.

* HeroicBSOD: Twice, in Derek's case. When the Aryan Brotherhood leave the scene after raping Derek in the prison shower, he lays on the floor, numb to the world, and later breaks down on the hospital bed. At the end of the story, when [[spoiler:Danny dies]], Derek is reduced to a [[ManlyTears blubbering mess]].