Movie SprayinTomatoes Presents: American History X

Mook

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In this week’s episode of Overrated, we have American History X.
 

Sprayin

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What’s Great:

  • Amazing character arc for Ed Norton
  • Black and white cinematography for scenes in the past
  • Top notch acting from Ed Norton
  • Extremely well written story

Why it’s overrated:

  • The entire black and white scenes, taken out of context from the rest of the movie, is like porn for overtly racist people that love slinging the N bomb and the throwing digs at Jews. The story is actually about a guy who was brainwashed into an absolutely ridiculous ideology. The rest of the story shows his pathway to the light and how he learns that it’s all bullshit. In the end, due to his blind devotion to that ideology, it cost the life of his younger brother. There is a legitimate meaning in the movie, and its completely and totally lost on most.
  • Curb-stomp scene is the most played out and overused example of someone trying to be a badass
  • Primary source material for a TON of the racist jokes that I heard for years
  • Made it cool to get a swastika tattoo on your chest
 

FirstWorldProblems

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I think the title to your second list of bullet points shouldn't be "why it's overrated", but rather, "Why this movie should have never been made"

Completely ignoring the fact that 99% of people that watched this movie did not react as you described. Most were disgusted at the hate they saw, they didn't use the movie as an excuse to promote hate
 

Sprayin

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I mean, it doesn't sound like you're critiquing the movie it self, but rather that you don't like how racist/ignorant people responded to the movie, which is unavoidable given the plot

This movie was amazing

Most of my "overrated" is not a critique of the movie itself, but a critique on how it was received.

I think the title to your second list of bullet points shouldn't be "why it's overrated", but rather, "Why this movie should have never been made"

Completely ignoring the fact that 99% of people that watched this movie did not react as you described. Most were disgusted at the hate they saw, they didn't use the movie as an excuse to promote hate

Maybe we come from different areas, but that was absolutely not the case where I grew up. Hell, even on here, people have posted the gif of the curb stomp. I want to even go as far to say that someone had a picture from this movie as their avatar.
 

Sprayin

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American History X got an 83% TomatoMeter and 96% audience score.

Guess I need to see it because those are really high ratings. It had better not be overrated.

I don't like to use RT scores to judge things because its just a % of people that say its good. So 83% of the reviews from critics say it was good. Its either yes or no. It's not like "Oh, I'd give that movie an 8/10" rating.
 

Mook

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I censor many words on and off...mostly because some of you like to abuse the shit out of them and then I get complaints and I hate getting complaints.

Tho, I do not remember censoring that one. I wonder what else I added in a rage :rofl:
 

Omicron

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American History X is a great film, but not flawless.

Schindler’s List is a flawless film. Not possible to overrate.

In AH X Honestly Edward Furlong’s character and acting are arguably the films weakest points. He’s awful in a role that needs more writing to begin with. That and a few of the points in the film feel like after school special lessons.

Norton carries this film masterfully though.
 

Kensington

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Really bad. Totally forgettable in both this and T2.

T2, didn't really have any actors that stood out as being great in their roles. They all just sort of...existed :rofl: But, I thought that they did enough to move the story along. IMO, the writing was good, and the dialogue could have been great, had good actors played their parts.

And Edward Norton stole the show in AHX, and really everyone else was totally forgettable in the movie anyways.
 

boostedguy05

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What’s Great:

  • Amazing character arc for Ed Norton
  • Black and white cinematography for scenes in the past
  • Top notch acting from Ed Norton
  • Extremely well written story

Why it’s overrated:

  • The entire black and white scenes, taken out of context from the rest of the movie, is like porn for overtly racist people that love slinging the N bomb and the throwing digs at Jews. The story is actually about a guy who was brainwashed into an absolutely ridiculous ideology. The rest of the story shows his pathway to the light and how he learns that it’s all bullshit. In the end, due to his blind devotion to that ideology, it cost the life of his younger brother. There is a legitimate meaning in the movie, and its completely and totally lost on most.
  • Curb-stomp scene is the most played out and overused example of someone trying to be a badass
  • Primary source material for a TON of the racist jokes that I heard for years
  • Made it cool to get a swastika tattoo on your chest

i feel kinda the exact opposite. the black and white scenes more so showed how the hate was spread, and made the white people that fell for it (in the movie) seem weak minded.
prime source of racist jokes? you serious clark... i cant think of one that is directly related to that movie, or was not an already used one before that movie came out.
and i know of NO ONE, that has a swastika tattoo. but one perosn that did get hatchet man there because of the movie.
 
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