20 Famous Movie Tattoos (And What They Actually Mean)
3. American History X (1998)
Role: Ed Norton as Derek
The placement and execution of the heavy-black, large Swastika on Dereks chest is befitting of the brazen anti-semitic, racist beliefs it represents. Every time Ed Norton's character rips off his shirt, he wants his Nazi beliefs to be propagated, although the bold symbol is visible through the white shirts he generally wears.
In case anyone missed every history class at school and is somehow ignorant of the symbols meaning, the costume designer kindly stamped an iron cross on Dereks lower forearm captioned with white power. The violent racism which defines Derek for the first part of the film may be permanently inked on his skin but American History X proves there is room for redemption and reform in even the most hateful of individuals.
After being sent to prison for being overly-enthusiastic in defending an attempted break-in (no need to delve into the details), Derek is assigned a job in the prisons laundry room working alongside a black man. After a predictably frosty start, the two become friends and the neo-Nazi realises how erroneous his beliefs have been.
He may still bare a Swastika on his exterior but Derek has been reformed internally; breathing proof that while tattoos are permanent, the beliefs they represent are not