A History of Violence (2005) Movie Info
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | A History of Violence |
| Director | David Cronenberg |
| Screenplay Writer | Josh Olson |
| Based on | Graphic novel A History of Violence by John Wagner & Vince Locke |
| Lead Actor | Viggo Mortensen |
| Cast | Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt |
| Genre | Crime, Thriller, Drama |
| Release Date | September 23, 2005 (USA) |
| Duration | 1h 36m (96 minutes) |
| Budget | $32 million (estimated) |
| Language | English |
| Country | United States |
A History of Violence (2005) Movie Ratings
| Platform | Rating |
|---|---|
| IMDb | ⭐ 7.4 / 10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Critics) | 🍅 88% Tomatometer |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Audience) | 🍿 76% Popcornmeter |
| Metacritic | 🎬 82 / 100 |
| Letterboxd | ⭐ 3.7 / 5 |
Short Summary
The secrets of a quiet family man in the tiny town of Millbrook, Indiana are brought to the surface after he saves the lives of a couple citizens.
Review
Put the previews for this movie out of your mind. It’s not a suspenseful action flick, as the images of a gun-toting Mortensen in the coming attractions seem to imply. Instead, this is a taut psychological drama that slowly builds up to reveal the history (it’s a violent one!) of a man who has worked to leave the past behind him.
No time is wasted in establishing Mortensen as Tom Stall, a quiet, kind-hearted family man. Barely five minutes into the film, he’s referred to as the “best man I’ve ever known,” by his wife (the lovely and underrated Maria Bello). It seemed a bit transparent and forced to make this point so obvious from the beginnig. I was waiting for Stall to don a World’s Best Husband and Father shirt in the next scene. Once it was quickly established that this is one nice fella, it was also quickly known that there was far more to him than a calm exterior.
Ed Harris is brilliant and eerie as the man from Stall’s past that resurfaces and demands revenge for an unknown incident from years ago. While slow at times, the movie is a character study of what lies beneath this supposedly ordinary gentleman. Does everyone have something to hide? There’s a fine performance by the actor playing Stall’s son that helps the audience question whether or not an anger and violence lies beneath the surface of all men.
My Opinion
Just watch it this movie will not waste any second of your time.
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