How to judge a movie cut down from five to two hours? And would the five-hour version—any five-hour version— be that much better? Tony Kaye’s camera work is good, though verging on arty, and shooting the past in monochrome and the present in full color is effective. But Anne Dudley’s score, which even resurrects the cliché disembodied choir, is annoying, as is the ponderous preachiness of Sweeney as played by Avery Brooks. Many others are fine, notably Beverly D’Angelo (Doris), Guy Torry (Lamont), and especially Edward Furlong (Danny). But the reason to see American History X is Edward Norton. His sensitive, various, nuanced, and powerful performance is a history-making achievement. NR
LEGACY
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