10 Iconic Movie Moments The Director Didn't Understand

American History X is a brutal and unflinching exploration of racism, indoctrination and redemption and it features powerhouse performances from Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Edward Furlong. Despite its critical success, the 1998 drama all but ruined director Tony Kaye's career, due to his infamous disowning of the feature and creative clashes with Norton and New Line Cinema.

While Kaye eventually came around to the feature years later, his alternate ending for the story showed he missed a crucial component of Derek Vinyard (Norton)'s arc, as well as that of the consequences of Danny Vinyard (Furlong)'s actions.

The proposed conclusion would have seen Derek turn back to his neo-Nazi ways after Danny's death at the hands of a Black student, in an attempt to showcase the cyclical nature of hate and violence. However, this would not have worked within the context of everything that came before, most notably Derek's change in perspective as well as the events he went through to experience said change.

Both endings are undeniably bleak, but Kaye's ending would have taken the film into mean-spirited and regrettably short-sighted waters.