aggressive , bleak , and unrelenting film about an interracial couple , steve and sam ( damon jones and elexa williams respectively ) , who are viciously attacked in a parking garage one night by a gang of skinheads . the skinheads beat steve , then force him to watch as they brutally rape his girlfriend over and over again . when sam kills herself later that evening , steve decides that the skinheads must be taught a lesson . waiting seven months for the thuggish skinheads to forget about the incident entirely , steve shaves his head , dresses in combat boots and suspenders , tattoos his flesh with nazi symbols , and tries to infiltrate the gang . as he gets closer and closer to the people who committed the horrible crime against his girlfriend , he begins to learn just how vicious these people really are and starts to question his own motives for violence . randolph kret's script , based on two real life incidents that affected not only his life but the life of the film's producer shaun hill , is an affront on violence and intolerance . the film causes its audience to be subjected to such brutality and ignorance that one can't help but be disgusted by the events presented within . i've seen it said that this is the film fight club should have been , but david fincher's film was trying to define a generation . kret's film is a wake up call to a generation and his message is a powerful one . if fincher is the kubrick of our generation , then kret is our d . w . griffith ( thematically speaking ) . there is not a single likable character in the film . the skinheads are obviously the most repulsive characters in the film , not only because of their beliefs but because they are in a constant state of fury ( not just against other races but within their own circles ) . the african-american characters in the film are constantly shown as sexually assaulting drug abusers who are always on a joyride looking for someone to accost . even gay men get in on the act , locating the skinheads' lair and beating them severely with lead pipes and other blunt objects . the main character steve is also unlikable because of the person he becomes just to seek out revenge . what all of this comes down to is the simple message that violence begets violence , and the constant clashes between factions will do nothing but continue the endless cycle of violence inherent in our society . the cast of this film is absolutely remarkable . damon jones shows a raw energy that many actors can't seem to summon these days and his performance seems nothing less than powerful . his initial reaction to hearing about his girlfriend's suicide is one of the most affecting scenes i have ever seen in a film . david lee wilson , who plays ( appropriately enough ) david lee is accurately evil as the second in command skinhead who also makes extra money performing oral sex on other men ( an irony that seems lost on the other skinheads ) . wilson's character is pure hatred and he brings out this hate perfectly . sadly , actor dave ward , who portrays the character of crew , will not be able to follow up his excellent performance as he was the victim of a vicious act of violence himself at the hands of a fellow actor during an incident of road rage . ward showed immense promise and he will be greatly missed . note : it is a shame that the filmmakers had to add a disclaimer to the end of the film stating that neither they nor the musicians contributing music for the film condone racism . the message about hatred couldn't be spelled out any more clearly than it is here , but there are those who would probably find this film much more akin to a training video than a condemnation . there are no " winners " at the end of this film either . no character gets his or her comeuppance and the ending leaves us almost right where we began . where american history x had redemption for most of its characters , no such victories are in store for pariah's band of twisted souls . it is this bleak ending that carries the film's most powerful message : the message that , despite what you may be able to momentarily do to put your own mind to rest , evil will still be with us ( and in many forms ) and there is very little than can be done to eradicate it entirely .
