There are a lot of different ways one could look at this movie.
For racists (white, black, etc…) it can be deemed a rather sappy morality play that just isn’t true.
For positivists, it can be deemed a call for acceptance and “brotherhood (and sisterhood) among men (and women)”
For realists, like myself, it can be deemed to be a story of what happens when horrible things happen to you, you feel anger/hatred because of these things, and then you have a choice: Become what you hate, thereby rendering your objections irrelevant, or overcome your gut instincts and behave as you always felt you should.
The movie starts with a differently-edited version of a scene that appears later in the movie…and right away, Ed Norton(as Derek Vinyard) shows why he’s a great actor. Being in bed with Fairuza Balk (naked, yet) and then being able to quickly detach (emotionally, that is) and focus on a more pressing concern is hard to sell, but Norton does it perfectly. His character is multi-layered, extremely intelligent, charismatic, and a True believer. The only problem is WHAT he believes…
The story, then, is about his redemption, his willingness to leave his past behind, to be content with what he has and not destroy what he has that is right by trying to make EVERYTHING “right” (in his eyes).
The transformation from bitterly hateful racist Anti-Semite to tough but sweet guy is quite a change, but at no point does it seem faked…you get the feeling that, in Norton’s shoes, you might do the very same things once jailed, given his personality. And given his intelligence and “belief”, it’s not surprising what happens when he discovers the other “believers” in jail aren’t real.
A bit of irony exists in the most interesting exchanges of the movie, between Norton’s character and a black man that he initially, of course (given his philosophy) looks down on but who gradually wins him over by the simple plan of being decent. Funny, too.
Norton’s performance carries this movie. It is ferocious, compelling, powerful, subdued when appropriate…very nuanced and quite an achievement. All the other merely “good” performances are completely overshadowed by Norton’s masterful portrayal of an intelligent, sweet boy turned cold-blooded hatemonger by events and, to be fair, his own choice.
Derek Vinyard’s big realization that you should take care of who you care about based on THEM, not based in any way on their skin color seems remarkably simple to me, but for his character the complexity is understandable.
A hell of a lot better than ‘Fight Club’ (couldn’t resist the dig). The idea that there are perfectly legitimate reasons to love/like/dislike/hate people on an INDIVIDUAL basis is put forth here, and I do in fact agree with it.
Inspirational Quote: “You prey on people, Cam! You use them! I lost three years of my life for your fcken phony cause but I am on to you now you fcken snake!”
Grade: A
2012: Brilliant. Grade: A+