This entry was posted on Monday, April 9th, 2007 at 11:04 am and is filed under A, Drama. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Director: Tony Kaye
Starring: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D’Angelo, Avery Brooks, Stacy Keach, Ethan Suplee, Fairuza Balk, Guy Torry, Elliott Gould
This is an awesome movie with strong direction, that features flawless acting by the whole cast, but most noticeably by leads Norton and Furlong who are both nothing short of amazing. The story is excellent and is enhanced by strong dialog and capped with a powerful ending. All in all, this is fine movie-making and shouldn’t be missed. Be warned though, there is some shocking violence, as well as some shockingly offensive views and language.
Edward Norton is unbelievably buffed up to become Derek Vinyard, a charismatic, but angry, young racist who is being released from prison to rejoin his family, which includes a seventeen-year-old brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), who is progressing down the same path. It soon becomes clear, however, that the newly freed Derek is not the same as the one that was locked up several years before and is primarily concerned with re-building his family. Stacy Keach plays a behind-the-scenes white supremacist leader and Avery Brooks is Dr. Bob Sweeny, a teacher and outreach worker trying to help both brothers. The story takes place over only 24 hours, but seems longer due to flashbacks, filmed in black and white, that gradually reveal the film’s backstory.
This is a fantastic film and a personal favourite of mine. It cemented my opinion of Edward Norton as one of contemporary film’s greatest actors and makes it clear that Edward Furlong is a very skilled performer who deserves more quality roles than he receives. If you are not put off by a high level of cinematic violence and scathing racist rhetoric, then it will be difficult to watch at times. It should be.
