25 Greatest Ever Movie Anti-Heroes

22. Derek Vinyard (American History X)

Anti-heroes don't get much darker than Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), a former neo-Nazi who has spent three years in jail for the manslaughter of two black men, one who he shot and the other who he brutally curb-stomped to death outside his home for trying to steal his truck. Flashbacks reveal the extent of Derek's racism, namely his hateful attitude and abundance of Nazi paraphernalia. In prison, however, Derek slowly reforms after becoming friendly with a black inmate and being raped by members of the Aryan Brotherhood. Upon release from prison, Derek's primary goal is to convince his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) to reject the white power movement, which he eventually seems to. Sadly, though, Derek's efforts are ultimately in vain as Danny is shot to death at the end of the movie by a disgruntled black student. Derek has a quintessential anti-hero trajectory: he's a reformed bad guy, but sadly, he isn't actually able to save the day in the end, though it makes his effort to protect his brother no less heroic. The movie's provocation is to make you sympathise with and even root for a man who has previously committed such heinous acts, and though he couldn't save Danny, his transition from hateful Nazi to well-rounded human being is itself an act of heroism, albeit one for his own betterment.