The crime thriller A History of Violence is directed by David Cronenberg and stars Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, and William Hurt. The film takes place in modern day Millbrook, Indiana.
Tom Stall (Mortensen) is the average man. He works long hours at his diner, he has a wife (Bello) and two kids, a son and a daughter. The family goes through all the usual problems such as how Tom's teenage son must face a bully at school which is actually somewhat a metaphor for the real story and Tom is friends with everyone in the small town because of his diner. But when one night two men attempt a robbery in his diner he uses amazing skills to kill the two men who threaten the lives of the customers and himself. Tom becomes a local hero and is on the news all over the country, even in Philadelphia where a man involved in organized crime believes that he knows Tom Stall as Joey Cusack. Can Tom protect his family from these men, or is he actually who they say he is? The script for this film was written by Josh Olson, and was based off the graphic novel. Even though it is critically acclaimed I was not a fan. I just never felt a connection to any of the characters of this film, I was only able to watch it and not able to absorb it. I understand the parallels between the son's problems and Tom's problems and that is clever but it did not make me enjoy the film. This film could have been much more exciting and not as corny because the whole thing felt fake, and I know that those of you who have seen it are saying well it's supposed to feel fake because of the way the film turns out but it felt too fake. It just wasn't a very enjoyable film for me even though the way everything played out was very logical. I know it was nominated for an Oscar, but it just didn't work for me.
David Cronenberg is considered one of the best directors and he shows his talent in this film. The opening shot of the film was very impressive and he immediately lets the viewer know that he knows what he's doing when he's behind the camera. The shot that I am talking about is the shot that lasts about a minute or more with the two men who will rob the diner later in the film and it follows them into their car and to the two people that are killed in a motel. The rawness that is used towards the middle of the film with Tom Stall and his wife getting into some intimate action on the stair case and then later when she walks into the bedroom completely naked shows the dramatic change that the story has taken. Cronenberg has had a great career so far and even though I'm not a big fan of this film I am a fan of his direction of it and I can't wait to see what his next film will be.
The acting in this is impressive for the most part but there were a couple of performances that bothered me. Viggo Mortensen plays the lead and he does a fine job, but not as great as he does in Cronenberg's Eastern Promises. He plays the part of the average man perfectly well, but he does not really bring me into the film. I don't really think he could have done much more with the role though it is really the way the writing was set up. Maria Bello did not give a great performance, she just kept on her angry face and yelled at Viggo the whole time. Her character was fake in the film in a way but her performance felt acted out, while a great actor does not seem like they are acting, they seem like they are themselves. Ed Harris did a great job in this film being the man with the organized crime connections who came to town. He was very creepy and memorable, and will definitely make you happy not to be in Tom Stall's shoes. William Hurt was nominated for an Oscar for his role, and he deserved the nomination due to his comedic style of playing a big mafia guy. Every single line he delivered perfectly and proves with this film that he is still a great actor. The performance by Ashton Holmes made it very hard for me to try and enjoy this film because of how poor an actor he is. He plays the part of the son and he is just terrible in every way, in how the delivers his lines, his facial expressions, just awful.
Overall I give this film a 6/10. I know a lot of my review sounded very negative for this film but if anyone enjoys the crime drama I advise you to watch because of its critical acclaim. It was just not for me but you may love it, so give it a chance. I'm looking forward to Cronenberg's next film A Dangerous Method which will also have Viggo Mortensen as the lead.
Tom Stall (Mortensen) is the average man. He works long hours at his diner, he has a wife (Bello) and two kids, a son and a daughter. The family goes through all the usual problems such as how Tom's teenage son must face a bully at school which is actually somewhat a metaphor for the real story and Tom is friends with everyone in the small town because of his diner. But when one night two men attempt a robbery in his diner he uses amazing skills to kill the two men who threaten the lives of the customers and himself. Tom becomes a local hero and is on the news all over the country, even in Philadelphia where a man involved in organized crime believes that he knows Tom Stall as Joey Cusack. Can Tom protect his family from these men, or is he actually who they say he is? The script for this film was written by Josh Olson, and was based off the graphic novel. Even though it is critically acclaimed I was not a fan. I just never felt a connection to any of the characters of this film, I was only able to watch it and not able to absorb it. I understand the parallels between the son's problems and Tom's problems and that is clever but it did not make me enjoy the film. This film could have been much more exciting and not as corny because the whole thing felt fake, and I know that those of you who have seen it are saying well it's supposed to feel fake because of the way the film turns out but it felt too fake. It just wasn't a very enjoyable film for me even though the way everything played out was very logical. I know it was nominated for an Oscar, but it just didn't work for me.
David Cronenberg is considered one of the best directors and he shows his talent in this film. The opening shot of the film was very impressive and he immediately lets the viewer know that he knows what he's doing when he's behind the camera. The shot that I am talking about is the shot that lasts about a minute or more with the two men who will rob the diner later in the film and it follows them into their car and to the two people that are killed in a motel. The rawness that is used towards the middle of the film with Tom Stall and his wife getting into some intimate action on the stair case and then later when she walks into the bedroom completely naked shows the dramatic change that the story has taken. Cronenberg has had a great career so far and even though I'm not a big fan of this film I am a fan of his direction of it and I can't wait to see what his next film will be.
The acting in this is impressive for the most part but there were a couple of performances that bothered me. Viggo Mortensen plays the lead and he does a fine job, but not as great as he does in Cronenberg's Eastern Promises. He plays the part of the average man perfectly well, but he does not really bring me into the film. I don't really think he could have done much more with the role though it is really the way the writing was set up. Maria Bello did not give a great performance, she just kept on her angry face and yelled at Viggo the whole time. Her character was fake in the film in a way but her performance felt acted out, while a great actor does not seem like they are acting, they seem like they are themselves. Ed Harris did a great job in this film being the man with the organized crime connections who came to town. He was very creepy and memorable, and will definitely make you happy not to be in Tom Stall's shoes. William Hurt was nominated for an Oscar for his role, and he deserved the nomination due to his comedic style of playing a big mafia guy. Every single line he delivered perfectly and proves with this film that he is still a great actor. The performance by Ashton Holmes made it very hard for me to try and enjoy this film because of how poor an actor he is. He plays the part of the son and he is just terrible in every way, in how the delivers his lines, his facial expressions, just awful.
Overall I give this film a 6/10. I know a lot of my review sounded very negative for this film but if anyone enjoys the crime drama I advise you to watch because of its critical acclaim. It was just not for me but you may love it, so give it a chance. I'm looking forward to Cronenberg's next film A Dangerous Method which will also have Viggo Mortensen as the lead.