The 1990s was a huge decade for history: The Soviet Union fell in 1991, paving way for radical political change across Europe; one of the worst genocides known to man took place in Rwanda between the Hutus and the Tutsis; and of course there was the small matter of the invention of the world wide web. It was a decade of social change coupled with advances in technology and it made for an interesting backdrop for the film industry, which continued to produce some astonishingly good films after the success of the 80s. So here they are in all their glory, five of the films that defined the 1990s. SPOILER WARNING: this article may contain some spoilers.
5. American History X (1998)
A very poignant film from director Tony Kaye about racism in America. Edward Norton stars as American Neo Nazi Derek Vinyard who goes to jail for killing two black men after they break into his deceased father's truck, an object close to his heart. After being sentenced to a stretch in jail, Derek's family takes a turn for the worst, as his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong), seems to be traversing the same path. During his time in jail, Derek questions everything he thought he knew about race and equality, all thanks to a young black prisoner called Lamont who openly talks about the idiocy of racism and the needless divides it causes. Upon his release Derek attempts to right his wrongs as best he can by renouncing his former political ideology and steering his brother in the right direction. The best part of the film comes with it's ending, as Danny goes back to school with a changed attitude brought on by his brother, he is shot in the school bathroom in cold blood by a young black student, who like Derek and Danny, fell in with a racist gang. Derek runs to the crime scene and cradles him in his arms as he lies dead, ultimately becoming a victim of the kind of hatred his brother had originally tried to create. American History X remains one of Ed Norton's finest performances with him being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.