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A History of Violence


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

On the surface, David Cronenberg may seem an unlikely candidate to direct A History of Violence, but dig deeper and you'll see that he's the right man for the job. As an intellectual seeker of meaning and an avowed believer in Darwinian survival of the fittest, Cronenberg knows that the story of mild-mannered small-town diner proprietor Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is in fact a multilayered examination of inbred human behavior, beginning when Tom's skillful killing of two would-be robbers draws unwanted attention to his idyllic family life in rural Indiana. He's got a loving wife (Maria Bello) and young daughter (Heidi Hayes) who are about to learn things about Tom they hadn't suspected, and a teenage son (Ashton Holmes) who has inherited his father's most prominent survival trait, manifesting itself in ways he never expected. By the time Tom has come into contact with a scarred villain (Ed Harris) and connections that lead him to a half-crazy kingpin (William ! Hurt, in a spectacular cameo), Cronenberg has plumbed the dark depths of human nature so skillfully that A History of Violence stands well above the graphic novel that inspired it (indeed, Cronenberg was unaware of the source material behind Josh Olson's chilling adaptation). With hard-hitting violence that's as sudden as it is graphically authentic, this is A History of Violence that's worthy of serious study and widespread acclaim. --Jeff Shannon


A History of Violence
Review date: 2008-11-27 Rating: 6 out of 10

"survival of the fittest" is an active ingredient into the storytelling of the movie - beginning with Tom Stall's skilful killing of two men who attempt to rob his diner. Hailed as a hero, the unwanted attention gathered from the attack threatens Tom's idyllic rural family life when a shady man (played by Ed Harris) begins accusing Tom (Viggo Mortensen) of being someone who has wronged him in the past.

Blood, gore, and violence most certainly tick the boxes for the crime genre, and it's not long before it is introduced. Beginning with a surreal, ambiguous and highly disturbing scene in which murder and seduction is hinted - the movie starts off with a promising and cleverly filmed sequence. The movie thereafter slows down dramatically, as it attempts to portray Tom's "normal" life to the viewer through over-acting and ridiculous sex scenes - which seem to have no relevance to the build up of storyline at all. The incorporation of Tom's teenage son and his troubles with school only manage to infuriate the viewer even more - as poor acting and farfetched sequences occur only as a means that he actually exists in his father's perfect world. Arguably, his natural instinct to demolish the school bully's face hints to his father's true identity, but it seems a little over-the-top, and doesn't seem to push the plot forward at all. His story seems to stop half way through the movie, after his father kills even more mobsters who arrive from Philly after they ask him to "come for a ride". Another exaggerated scene - which leaves the viewer asking "why?" over and over again, with no sufficient answer but for the fact that Tom Stall, is but another villain in a movie full of the latter.

Having said that, the story, which is loosely based on the graphic novels by Josh Olsen, is not a complete disaster. It proves to be original, despite it's obvious crime genre clichés, and authentic bloody culture; and the cameo appearance of William Hurt and "bad guy" Ed Harris are more than sufficient for the viewing of the film. Both actors prove to be superb villains, and the edge-of-your-seat factor is introduced wildly from their splendid performances.

With mixed audience reaction, it may still be a while before David Cronenberg manages to create his masterpiece. Many, however, believe this to be it, but the overall feel from the film for me was that it was good... but not brilliant. However, it was original and thought provoking, and well worth a watch at least once.

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Reviews


MASTERPÝECE
Review date: 2008-11-19 Rating: 10 out of 10

This movie is a masterpiece.It is also one of the best sudies of man as the primitive self.

thoughtful and understated
Review date: 2008-11-07 Rating: 8 out of 10

I'm not a huge fan of Cronenberg and didnt enter into this film with particularly high expectations - maybe thats why I enjoyed this film as much as I did.

The story gripped me from the start and I found myself changing my mind throughout the film as to the motives of Mortensen and Harris. The acting is suberb - especially in the scenes between Mortensen and Harris, there is a real palpable sense of tension whenever they are on screen together.

I was gripped by the story and the script, It's not a film for everyone - I can see why some people may find it slow - but if you watch it, concentrate, get drawn into the story and are patient with it, it will reward you.

The style of the film is quite low key - which I think suits it - interspersed with some quite horrific and graphic violence.

Overall, in my opinion, my favourite Cronenberg.


A decent thriller
Review date: 2008-06-17 Rating: 8 out of 10

` A History of Violence' is about a family man named Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) who owns a diner in a small town in Indiana. Everything seems quiet and peaceful in his life until one day when two men come into his restaurant and threaten the staff and customers with a gun. Tom disarms the men and kills them both in defence, becoming a local hero in his town. Days later he is then approached by a man named Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) who begins to ask him questions about his past, a different life in Philadelphia and starts to harass him and his family.

I love some of David Cronenberg's earlier films such as The Fly, Scanners and The Dead Zone, and A History of Violence is a great addition to these classics. The story is fairly slow going and does have a lot of focus on the characters rather than just action, but this makes it all the more suspenseful as I felt like I was always wondering what was going to happen next and whether Fogarty had got the wrong man or not.

The acting from the whole cast is very believable and well performed, especially from Ed Harris who comes across as a genuinely scary and intimidating person indeed. Mortensen's character starts off quite sickly with his whole ideal father image, but once he kills the men in the diner, my opinion of his character changed completely, showing a really confused, shocked and scared individual.

The special effects are a good as you'd expect from a Cronenberg too with some really shocking and gruesome shots (even if they are only shown for a second).

Overall this wasn't as good as I'd hyped myself up for it to be but is still a brilliant thriller that kept me gripped to the story throughout the whole movie. Although it is fairly slow paced to begin with it does pick up at a rocketing speed right near the end to a point where there was only about 5 minutes left and I was wondering how the hell they were going to tie it all up in just a few minutes. If you enjoy thrillers I'd definitely give this a go.


let down
Review date: 2008-06-08 Rating: 4 out of 10

i was really dissapointed by this movie which loses a lot momentum and credability halfway through the film.that said its got excellent performances and it has a brain in its head so its more of a fasinating failure

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Viggo Mortensen
Maria Bello
Stephen McHattie
Ed Harris
William Hurt

Creators:
Viggo Mortensen (Primary Contributor)
Maria Bello (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Entertainment in Video
Manufacturer: Entertainment in Video
EAN: 5017239193729
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2006-03-20
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 96 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)

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