One night two black kids attempt to steal Derek's car, as the result of a playground feud. He shoots one of them dead and the crushes the other one‘s skull in to the cement. He's convicted of murder and sent to prison for three years. In prison, Derek undergoes a slow evolution from a white zealot to a quiet loner. During the initial months of Derek’s time in prison he attempts friendship with the other whites. With a swastika tattooed on his chest, he fits in briefly with the white power faction, but is disillusioned to find that all the major groups in prison (blacks, Hispanics, whites) have a working agreemen

Black and white film is used to show the recent past, and color to show the present. This also may have a deeper meaning. It seems to signify Derek’s transition from ignorant hate to humility and wisdom, gained through painful experience. Slow motion is also used as a focusing tool during particularly emotional or impacting scenes.

“American History X” was written by David McKenna. McKenna grew up around the hard punk scene in New Port Beach, watching mods and punks get into fights at the Balboa Pier. He was the only child of a single mother and after graduating from high school, McKenna attended San Diego State where he studied journalism and finance. However, he had always wanted to write about the impact of racism. He said, “when kids go to a school where there’s black and Mexican gang members and they get beat up every day coming home from school, you know it’s [race] and issue. In today’s society, race is everything.”

The scariest and most convincing scenes are the ones in which we see the skinheads bonding. They're led by Derek's brilliant speechmaking and fueled by drugs, beer, tattoos, heavy metal and the need all insecure people feel to belong to a movement greater than themselves. In their world

Some topics in this essay:
Beach California, San Diego, Derek Danny’s, Venice LA, Los Angeles, Balboa Pier, Port Beach, McKenna McKenna, History X”, skinhead gang, sent prison, father's death, ,