Review of A History of Violence (2005) by Tighe G — 23 May 2010
It was a good film (as to say, better than The Departed), but not great. Viggo's character started off being quite interesting and intriguing, and after the incident even more so. But I began to loose interest in the character, not because of the performance, but because of the storytelling.
I'm a fan of Cronenberg, but this is not one of his best films. Sure, it contains all of the elements to one of his film: Violence, Gore, Strong Sexual content, and all around disturbing content. But it just didn't seem to work.
I also thought that Ed Harris's character was quite interesting. But (SPOILER) he is killed off way to fast, and for me he was the most interesting character in the film! William Hurt was "waaaaaaaay" over the top, he chewed every bit of the scenery, and still got a nomination! If anything Harris deserved the the nomination.
I also HATED Ashton Holmes (and not just because he killed Ed Harris), he's so freakin' annoying! I know the "bully" was in the wrong for starting the fight, but by the end of it, I was all on the bully's side.
I also thought the famous "69 Scene" was pointless! It was just an excuse for Cronenberg to" shock" the audience (yet again) with some strong sexual content. As was the stair scene, what was the relevance?! POINT! I NEED A POINT! All-in-all, not a bad film, just a very weak film.
And I (being a director) would've done it differently. But that's just me. :).
This review of A History of Violence (2005) was written by Tighe G on 23 May 2010.
A History of Violence has generally received very positive reviews.
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