Review: History of Violence, A

Posted by: Tom Milroy  •  September 30, 2005 @ 11:59am

Filed under: Reviews

When it comes to David Cronenberg movies, reactions are rarely unified. His work always seems to be "out there". If you've seen Crash or Naked Lunch, you know what I mean. His latest movie A History of Violence is sure to provide another polarized audience.

Going on what I'd read about this movie, it was a huge surprise. It is not really about how a man's life changes after committing murder, it's about how his past comes back to change his life, because he has a history of violence.

Viggo Mortensen is perfect as Tom Stall, owner of a small-town diner. Looking and acting like Diane Lane, Maria Bello is Edie, his wife. Ed Harris plays one of the bad guys, as does a fantastic William Hurt as Tom's older brother.

Be warned: this is indeed a violent movie, not for children. I can't get into the plot too deeply because it would spoil the story, but this is one history class worth attending.