Movie Review: A History of Violence

Stars (Out of 10): 4

One Word Summary: Disconnected

Movie Details: MPAA RATING: R for strong brutal violence, graphic sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use Starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Ashton Holmes, Heidi Hayes, Stephen McHattie, Greg Bryk, and Peter MacNeill GENRE(S): Drama  |  Suspense/Thriller   WRITTEN BY: Josh Olson John Wagner (graphic novel) Vince Locke (graphic novel)   DIRECTED BY: David Cronenberg   RELEASE DATE: Theatrical: September 23, 2005  RUNNING TIME: 96 minutes   Relevant Sites: IMDB Official Movie Website Watch The Movie Trailers Shopping: Shop Amazon for items related to this movie. Shop for movie posters at AllPosters

"A History of Violence" Review:

          A History of Violence takes place in a small town in Indiana, and follows Tom Stall, a local diner owner, husband, and father of two. While having his restaurant robbed at gunpoint, Stall does the seemingly heroic; he saves his patrons and kills the intruders in the process. Stall is immediately hailed as a hero in newspapers and on TV around the country. A few days later, his diner receives a few strange guests. They repeatedly call Tom Joey, and tell him they know him from Philadelphia. He's never been to Philadelphia, he says. But the harassment continues until John and his family learn that the strangers are mobsters… is he really who he says he is?

          Critics have called A History of Violence 'complex,” and some have gone as far as to name it one of the best movies of the year… neither is even close to true. Where they see complexity in such a hollow, empty movie is beyond me. The film barely has enough steam to make it through its already meager runtime (98 minutes), and it winds up stalling out (seriously, the pun was not intended) about halfway through. Instead of a real climax, AHoV is packed with two rising actions, both of which are predictable, and neither of which is particularly 'complex.”

          The movie ends on a note that is supposed to leave us questioning the feelings of its characters, but the fatal flaw is that we don't give a damn. A History of Violence is as unrealistic a movie as there has been recently. It's not that the events aren't possible; it's just that the writing is so disconnected from true life that it's impossible to believe. I haven't heard worse dialogue in a very long time. It's almost as if screenwriter John Olson seems has no idea how people communicate with each other. Husbands and wives don't talk like Tom and Edie, and they most definitely don't break into spontaneous sex after domestic abuse.

          Director David Cronenberg is almost as disconnected. The action sequences are moronic; Tom Stall might as well have superpowers because he has a terrific tendency to shoot people and avoid serious impending injury. The sex scenes are incredibly gratuitous, and the violence is as gory as I've ever seen on film (minus the pulp stuff). The scenes filmed in the high school are probably the worst (stupid high school jock picks on Stall's kid because he caught a fly ball during gym class). There are entire subplots that serve almost no purpose, and in the end, the whole thing seems incredibly contrived.

          A History of Violence is a total disaster all around. Maria Bello is the only actor who is properly cast. Viggo Mortensen doesn't play sweet and sensitive well, Ed Harris is too talented an actor to play such a one dimensional character, and William Hurt just isn't intimidating as a mob boss. The child actors are terrible, and the decision to have an actress who looks to be 6 or 7 playing a character who sits in a child seat was moronic.

The Bottom Line is that critics are clamoring over absolutely nothing. Every once in a while they'll latch onto a garbage movie that leaves everyone else scratching their heads. That's what A History of Violence is. It isn't complex, and it isn't great. It's a dull thriller which is poorly conceived and executed. Skip it.