Review of A History of Violence (2005) by Ryan R — 04 Jan 2013

A History of Violence is a truly deep film about our obsession with sex and violence in today's society. That message comes in disguise (much like a character in the film). It's disguised as mindless graphic violence and sex. I have to say it got me. On the outside I was profoundly disturbed, and equally giddy like a little school girl when exciting things took place (or in other words, when shit went down). But to be honest, on the inside I was not affected by it. That's why the theme really hit home for me. I'm no different from the people who line up for those shitty torture porn flicks that comes out every Halloween. I'm no longer disturbed by the sight of a human being brutally killed. In fact, I actually enjoy it. And it makes me curious to know what has happened to make us this way?

Is it the non-stop stream of violent images that we received through the form of hand drawn animals when we were young and impressionable? Or is it the bloody video games millions of us play every day that have desensitized us? Is it my beloved comic books, with all their bloody violence and excitement? I'd say it's a combination of them all that have done it to me, and many more things. It's a sad truth that we have to deal with, because we damn sure aren't trying to fix it. Our kids are only going to get worse and worse, and this movie is telling us that subliminally. Perhaps I've read a bit far into this movie, but that's just what I got from it. This movie is really brilliant. I have been waiting to see it for the longest time, and I'm happy I finally have.

Viggo Mortensen is perfect as Tom Stall, or is it Joey Cusack? He is always great in every role he portrays. He's officially one of my favorite actors now. Ed Harris is great as well. His character was very sinister, and his subtle acting really accentuated that. I did not know who William Hurt was until I saw The Incredible Hulk, but he was good in his short role. Maria Bello was fantastic as Tom's wife. And finally, Ashton Holmes was great as Jack Stall, Tom's son. The performances were all great. There wasn't a wink link in the film. In fact, I don't have a whole lot of complaints. One is that there are a number of lines that bothered me here and there. Like the back and forth between Jack and a bully at school. Maybe there was a point to it, but it seemed to me like the writers just couldn't write teens very well.

Another thing is that I don't think this is one that I'd want to see again and again. That only takes away from my overall enjoyment because I bought the dvd. As a warning, I'll add that the film is very graphic. Both sexually, and violently. I was pretty uncomfortable during a couple of detailed sex scenes. Mainly because I was watching it with my mom....awkward. Besides those complaints, I enjoyed it a lot. Definitely a must see, but not one to watch again and again.