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A History of Violence
USA 2005
produced by
Chris Bender, J.C. Spink, Kent Alterman (executive), Cale Boyter (executive), Josh Braun (executive), Toby Emmerich (executive), Justis Greene (executive), Roger Kass (executive) for New Line
directed by David Cronenberg
starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt, Ashton Holmes, Peter MacNeill, Stephen McHattie, Greg Byrk, Kyle Schmid, Sumela Kay, Gerry Quigley, Deborah Drakeford, Heidi Hayes, Aidan devine, Bill MacDonald, Michelle McCree, Ian Matthews, R.D.Reid, Morgan Kelly, Martha Reilly, Jason Barbeck, Bruce Beaton, Neven Pajkic, Brendan Connor, Nick Antonacci, John Watson
screenplay by John Olson, based on the graphic novel by John Wagner, Vince Locke, music by Howard Shore, cinematography by Peter Suschitzky
review by
Mike Haberfelner
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Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is about as square a smalltown American
family man as it gets, he is friends with all his neighbours and the local
Sheriff (Peter MacNeill), he goes to church every Sunday, and he seems to
be way too boring for his teenage son Jack (Ashton Holmes). But when two
crooks hit town and want to brutally rob his diner, he loses his cool and
violently kills them (in self defense) as if he had never done anything
else. Soon he becomes the town's celebrity, a bona fide American hero ...
and then one day, a Mr.Fogarty (Ed Harris) and his gang arrive in town,
claiming he knows Tom from his former life as a hitman for the mob,
threatening him, his wife (Maria Bello), his son and his little daughter
(Heidi Hayes) ... and it soon becomes clear they want to execute him.
Of course, Tom denies ever having been a mob-hitman, but Fogarty seems
to be pretty determined to have some sort of revenge on him, and
ultimately he takes Jack hostage, to exchange him for Tom himself. Wanting
to save his son, Tom agrees to the deal - and again, as if he never did
anything else, he suddenly comes into action and wipes out Fogarty and his
whole gang ...
The Sheriff can't make head or tails of it, why would the mob be after
a respected familyman, and why is same man quite so good in wiping out the
mob in one go. But when Tom's wife stands by him, the Sheriff lets go. But
actually, Tom's wife is convinced that he really is a mafia hitman, and by
having violently saved his family, Tom loses respect from both her and his
son, who have realized he is - or at least was - a maniac killer.
So Tom, who of course really was a mafia hitman in his former life he
left behind, decides to go to the root of all evil, his brother Richie
(William Hurt), a crime kingpin with designs for something even bigger. At
first, Tom tries to reason with Richie, trying to persuade him to leave
him alone, but ultimately it culminates in another shoot-out at the end of
which, Tom has to kill his brother.
Finally, Tom arrives back at his family's place ... but it doesn't seem
too happy a reunion.
A History of Violence can be described as David Cronenberg's
first attempt to make a bona fide action movie ... but since the director is
David Cronenberg, one of the last intellectuals among genre filmmakers,
one can expect anything but a typical blockbuster for the popcorn
crowd. As a matter of fact, the film is a very intelligent variation on
and rethinking of genre conventions, in which the hero is unmasked
as a killing machine, and the more heroic his (violent) deeds get,
the more he loses the respect of his family, until ultimately he has to
sleep on the couch in his own house ...
Even though it might not be exactly what you have come to expect from
David Cronenberg, A History of Violence is a great film. Just why
can#t more Hollywood action flicks be like that ?
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