American History X (1998)

The folks at Skin Central were disappointed in American History X (1998). Don’t get us wrong, it’s an excellent film — it’s just not as the title suggests. That is, we were expecting to see X rated coverage of babes from the roaring ’20s, the swinging ’60s, the new wave ’80s and other arousing times in American history. Instead, it’s a crime drama about brothers Derek (Edward Norton) and Danny (Edward Furlong) who are into L.A.’s white power skinhead scene. Joaquin Phoenix was reportedly offered the part of the elder bro but refused due to the intensity of the neo-Nazi role. So Norton stepped in, packing on 30 pounds of extra muscle and taking a pay cut for the chance to portray a fascist punk who propels into the depths of moral bankruptcy. Indeed, he creates one of the least sympathetic characters in cinema history as a Black-bashing, prison-bound thug. Once locked away, the prejudiced patsy reevaluates his beliefs and hopes he’ll be released in time to save his younger brother from following any further in his combat booted footsteps. As for Norton, the film was a stepping stone in his career since he was named Best Actor at the Satellite Awards, the Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards, and the Taormina International Film Festival. If that’s not impressive enough, Ed scored an Oscar nomination for his performance. Of course, we’d rather nominate Fairuza Balk for her flesh-flashing turn. As Derek’s babe Stacey, she bares her bouncing breasts in bed. American Her-story X!