Review of A History of Violence (2005) by Lewis E — 20 May 2014

Should be called 'A Bit of Violence' because that is basically the best thing it offers. Tells a story of how a violent past can take its toll on a man and his family. While this message is made clear, it doesn't really resonate deep enough on an emotional scale. It would have benefited from more dramatic twists or events. The family breakdown, a major part of the plot, failed to interest me. Also, I felt it lost authenticity when a weird sex scene occurred at the same time the film was portraying the deteriorating state of the marital relationship. Maybe it was meant to show that she still loved him but the circumstances under which it happened (midway through the wife angrily running up the stairs) seemed odd to me. Little bouts of graphic violence is what this is good for but it is debatable whether it's worth sitting through it for those.

In conclusion, I would say this film neither impresses nor disappoints. I didn't feel like my time was wasted but it falls short of strong recommendation.