Smell the Movies
Smell the TV
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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| Year: | 1998 |
| Country of origin: | USA |
| Director: | Tony Kaye |
| Genre: | Race drama |
| Starring: | Edward Norton, Edward FurlongAvery Brooks |
| Rating: | 5/5 |
| IMDB link: | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120586/ |
| Tagline: | His father taught him to hate. His friends taught him rage. His enemies gave him hope. |
| Favourite line: | "Shut up! Shut Up! Shut the fuck up, I came here for one reason, to tell you that I'm out, and Danny's out too and if you come near him again, I will feed you your fucking heart." |
I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but the first time I watched this movie, I had to leave the room to have a little cry. Only almost embarrassed, because the right wing antics of Ed Norton's main protaganist would probably have made Hitler blush.
Norton plays Derek Vinyard, a Neo-Nazi of the Uber variety.
This guy really hates black people. The very presence of a black person makes his skin crawl.
He rants and raves, sounding wonderfully maniacal, about the blight that is black America, angering and upsetting his family - even though it was his own father that instilled these ideas initially. All, that is, except his younger brother, who looks up to him, admires him, and devours every word of vile rhetoric.
One night, Derek carries out an act of ghastly violence against a black criminal - this scene has to be seen to be believed - and winds up in jail. There, his life, his attitudes and his thoughts about the path his younger brother are on are brought into sharp focus.
Disturbing, unrelenting, unflinching and as harrowing a movie as you are ever likely to see.
Black, white, yellow or an odd shade of mauve, everyone MUST watch this movie.
You won't think the same way afterwards.
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