10 Movies Saved By One Single Cut

American History X is a masterful drama starring Edward Norton as Derek Vinyard, a rehabilitated neo-Nazi who attempts to prevent his brother Danny (Edward Furlong) from following his own hateful path.

Though you'd never really know it from watching the film itself - which netted Norton a Best Actor Oscar nomination - it went through post-production hell as director Tony Kaye feuded with both the studio and Norton over the final cut of the movie, even eventually disowning it.

While such stories are typically sympathetic to the filmmaker, in this case it actually sounds like New Line and Norton had a better vision for what the film needed to be, considering that Kaye originally included an added sting in its already-bleak ending.

The theatrical cut ends with Danny being shot dead at school and Derek cradling his corpse, but Kaye's first cut went beyond this to show Derek shaving his head, pulling out a pistol, and smirking to himself, implying that he's returned to his racist ways.

This ending would've hugely undermined Derek's character growth and the tragedy of his arc, leaning back on a lazy, edgy twist ending, but thankfully the studio knew better and chopped it.