American History X

On the day that his older brother is due to be released from prison, student Danny Vinyard turns in a paper praising Hitler's Mein Kampf to his Jewish teacher Murray . He is sent to the principal, Bob Sweeney who assigns him another task. He gives him a day to complete an essay on the events that have shaped his life, including the events leading up to the imprisonment of his brother. The assignment will be called American History X. Derek has been imprisoned for the killing of two men who tried to steal his car one night. Derek didn't kill them because they were thieves but because they were black, and he had been the leader of a neo-Nazi, white-power group. When Derek is released (after serving three years for manslaughter), he returns home to find his mother and siblings living in a small, shabby apartment, and that Danny has become involved in the neo-Nazi movement. Derek's own reputation has been enhanced by his crime, but he wants nothing more to do with Cameron's activities, and is determined to stop his younger brother following in his footsteps. The film follows his attempt to explain to Danny how his life has changed, and Danny's own exploration of his family's past .