Review of A History of Violence (2005) by Nesa H — 06 Apr 2013

A History of Violence is a film loosely based on a comic book of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The film is a crime thriller, and it is about Tom Stall (Mortensen), the owner of a diner in small town Millbrook, Indiana. Tom is exposed to the national spotlight after he kills two mobsters in self-defense. The film expands upon the repercussions that this event has on his life and his family, and that's all I can say without giving any spoilers.

The four minute opening sequence of the film is when you get the sinking feeling that something bad will happen, and it was excellently portrayed in a very bleak and straightforward manner. I read a comment about Cronenberg's work, that the violence he shows is not glorified in anyway; it's quick and a little gross. And that is so true, so if you don't have the stomach for haunting shots of blood and gore, this film isn't for you.

Let's take a moment of silence for Viggo Mortensen. He is the MAN. He is so talented and had me so absorbed in his character. When his family life prior to the event is shown, I find myself caring for him and hoping nothing bad happens to him or his family. But then the guy had a transformation and he literally scared the living crap out of me. I can't imagine how he managed to play such polar opposites in the film so quickly and efficiently, because he just does it so efficiently. My jaw was dropped the whole entire time. How did he not even get an Oscar nomination?

Maria Bello did a great job with her role as Edie Stall, Tom's wife. Just like her, I felt genuinely scared for the safety of her and her family. William Hurt also had a massive impact on the film, even if he was in it for less than 10 minutes. Add in Ed Harris and you have a solid cast for a movie that both scared and amazed me.

And now I have to talk about the score. It fit perfectly with the film, was haunting and depressing, and made the overall mood much darker then it would have been without it.

I would like to give this film 5 stars, as it shocked me, in a good way. Cronenberg has this blunt way of how he set up the film and not only did it make it unique, it made the film relevant, to me at least.