A History Of Violence (2005) (Review)

A History of Violence is a crime drama  directed by David Cronenberg. This story is about a father who becomes a local hero after he kills two robbers at his diner. These actions however bring him unwanted attention from the local crime lord.

Better than I thought! A film that quite lives up to its name! There are some very brutal scenes and even the sex is pretty violent in the second half. Basically, the deeper it goes into the violence, the more chaotic everything becomes. But at the same time, this film isn’t as unbearable as what Cronenberg has been getting us used to for so long. 

Unfortunately, David went back to directing his trademark grotesque movies afterwards. I haven’t seen his A Dangerous Method, though. His latest, Crimes from the Future, is a disaster. Even Viggo Mortensen is pretty bad in it, even though he’s an excellent actor. Especially when he’s playing dad, as in The Road, Captain Fantastic and here. The fact that Josh Olson wrote the story for this film may have saved it. 

You don’t always see the dirty, ultra-creepy, unhealthy, dark side of this film. And even the ending is hopeful, which is also surprising for this director. That said, it’s still not a film for the faint of heart, but others may find something to enjoy. Fans of ultra-violence and Cronenberg will obviously be disappointed. 

Viggo Mortensen is once again great in his ambiguous role. I particularly liked Maria Bello in this film, whereas I didn’t adore her until now. Ashton Holmes, the son, PlayStation particularly well and has a very endearing character… although he discovers that he has some not very clean blood in his veins. 

William Hurt plays the jealous brother and gangster boss, who is quite convincing here.

Ed Harris, quite frightening in his role as a disfigured villain out for revenge. 

Stephen McHattie completes the gang of villains. He’s a hell of an actor, totally made for the job, magnificent charisma, active since 1970, has played in over 200 films and series combined. 

He was married to an actress who was also known for being scary: Meg Foster! 

That’s it! I really enjoyed all that. I didn’t want to see this film, but I’m glad someone convinced me to. 

My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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