American History X's Original Ending Would Have Changed The Entire Movie (& Made It Worse)

Screen Rant

By Matt John

Published 5 hours ago

While American History X's ending is tragic, the movie's original final scene was so dark that if used it would have contradicted the film's message.

American History X's original ending would have implied that Derek was trapped in a life of hatred, which would have been unfair after the progress he had made.
The original ending would have undermined the film's message that racism ruins lives and that there is hope for change and redemption.
The ambiguity of the actual ending emphasizes the film's message about the cycle of hatred and how it hurts everyone, making the movie's point more powerful.