American History X (1998) is a powerful drama directed by Tony Kaye and starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. The film explores themes of racism, redemption, and the cyclical nature of hatred.

The story follows Derek Vinyard (Norton), a former neo-Nazi leader in Venice Beach, California. After his father’s death, Derek becomes radicalized and falls into white supremacist ideology, leading him to commit a brutal hate crime that lands him in prison. Meanwhile, his younger brother Danny (Furlong) idolizes him and follows in his footsteps.

In prison, Derek experiences a transformation. He befriends a Black inmate and realizes the hypocrisy of his beliefs. He also suffers betrayal at the hands of fellow white supremacists, forcing him to reᴀssess his views. Upon release, he is determined to prevent Danny from making the same mistakes.

Derek tries to steer Danny away from hate, but their past actions have consequences. Danny, ᴀssigned to write an essay on his brother by their Black principal Dr. Sweeney, begins to see things differently. However, the past catches up to them when Danny is fatally sH๏τ by a Black student he previously antagonized