A History of Violence (2005)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writers (WGA):

John Wagner (graphic novel) and
Vince Locke (graphic novel) ...

Release Date:

30 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Everyone has something to hide.

Plot:

A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.

Plot Keywords:

Diner | Mobster | Identity | Small Town | Self Defense

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 31 nominations

Cast

Viggo Mortensen	...	Tom Stall
Maria Bello	...	Edie Stall
Ed Harris	...	Carl Fogarty
William Hurt	...	Richie Cusack
Ashton Holmes	...	Jack Stall
Peter MacNeill	...	Sheriff Sam Carney
Stephen McHattie	...	Leland
Greg Bryk	...	Billy
Kyle Schmid	...	Bobby
Sumela Kay	...	Judy Danvers
Gerry Quigley	...	Mick
Deborah Drakeford	...	Charlotte
Heidi Hayes	...	Sarah Stall
Aidan Devine	...	Charlie Roarke
Bill MacDonald	...	Frank Mulligan

Also Known As:

A History of Violence (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong brutal violence, graphic sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Philippines:R-13 (cut) | Australia:MA | Singapore:R21 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | France:-12 | Spain:18 | South Korea:18 | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-15 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Czech Republic:15 | Mexico:C | Brazil:18 | Sweden:15 | Australia:R (original rating) | New Zealand:R18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | Germany:18 (bw) | Italy:T (re-rated) | Italy:VM14 (original rating) | USA:R (certificate #41604) | Israel:16 | UK:18 | Ireland:18 | Norway:18

Filming Locations:

King City, Ontario, Canada

Company:

New Line Productions

Trivia:

William Hurt received an Oscar nomination for this film for Best Supporting Actor despite only being in one scene.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Tom/Joey arrives in Philadelphia, he says he has been driving for 15-16 hours. From even the farthest point in Indiana, where he supposedly lives, the drive would take about 11 hours.

Quotes:

[first lines]
William Orser: So we keep headin' east?
Leland Jones: Yeah, that's the idea.
William Orser: Stay out of the big cities?
Leland Jones: Uh-huh.

Movie Connections:

References C'era una volta il West (1968)

Soundtrack:

Life of a Fool

One of Cronenberg's best and most accessible films

Cronenberg's adaptation of a Wagner and Locke graphic novel places a simple American family man, and his all-American family, into a new and disturbing context which has them questioning everything they think they know. Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) owns a little diner in a small town and has a nice house on the outskirts of town, where he and his wife Edie (Maria Bello) raise their two kids apparently living the American dream in their own way. One day at the diner, two murderers pop by at closing time for some cherry pie, and Tom's heroic defense of his diner, his customers and himself sets off a series of events that threaten his family, his sanity and his life. The eerie tension never lets up in this powerful examination of identity, honesty and violence.

David Cronenberg has directed some of my favorite off-beat films - the masterpiece Naked Lunch, Scanners, Videodrome. I have watched these films many times and I still find them interesting. I can't really call myself a fan, however, because there are also just as many Cronenberg films out there which I found difficult to get through the first time (Crash, eXistenZ, Dead Ringers). Cronenberg enjoys creating disturbing situations and imagery, and wants to get under your skin and to stimulate your mind on as many levels as he can. In most cases, he pulls it off masterfully, but sometimes, his emphasis on the bizarre can come across as pretentious and forced.

Like a lot of very creative and intelligent people, Cronenberg sometimes leaves his signature virtually everywhere in his work. And sometimes, a director needs to make a film which does everything they want to accomplish but leaves off the signature. For example - the brilliant David Lynch showed us his ability to jump out of his own skin with Elephant Man and The Straight Story. These are still very much Lynch films, but they also appeal to the wider audience of mainstream cinema-goers. A History of Violence is, in some ways, Cronenberg's most straightforward film. A key to its success is that it is very easy to forget that you are watching a Cronenberg film, no matter how aware you are of Cronenberg's many quirks, idiosyncrasies and trademarks. It is so masterfully directed that, although the plot is not entirely unpredictable, you are right there in the action with the characters and feeling what they feel so that, though you may know what's next, you never exactly see it coming and you never know how it will take you there.

Viggo Mortensen, in his best mainstream role since Aragorn, and Maria Bello (one of the actors who made The Cooler worth watching), head an impressive cast in this adaptation of a Wagner and Locke graphic novel. Nobody in the cast slips up at all. The script is intense, realistic, and probably did nothing to make the performances easy. The plot, if described without the plot and the context created by the script, would seem somewhat absurd, but like Woody Allen's Match Point, it's absurdity does not make it impossible to believe. Editing, directing and pure performance combine to make flawless performances for this cast. Backed up by veterans Ed Harris and William Hurt, and very strongly supported by the excellent Maria Bello, Mortensen is shockingly excellent in a difficult role. I can't explain why without giving too much of the film away. Although the rest of the cast did exactly as they were supposed to, I want to single out Ashton Holmes - an actor I was completely unfamiliar with but who I will look out for in the future.

I recommend A History of Violence highly. It is one of my top five reasons for considering 2005 to have been a great year in North American film.