Tom Stall had the perfect life...until he became a hero.
Director: David Cronenberg
Producer: Chris Bender, J.C. Spink
An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.
96 min
Rating: 7.2/10
Released
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Top Cast
Viggo Mortensen
Tom Stall / Joey Cusack
Maria Bello
Edie Stall
Ed Harris
Carl Fogarty
William Hurt
Richie Cusack
Ashton Holmes
Jack Stall
Peter MacNeill
Sheriff Sam Carney
Movie Info
Director: David Cronenberg
Producer: Chris Bender, J.C. Spink
Production Companies: New Line Cinema, BenderSpink, Media I! Filmproduktion München & Company
Countries: Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America
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What Others Said
Gimly:
Probably Cronenberg's most mundane work, but that's not even remotely a knock against _A History of Violence_. I hear tell that fans of the comic don't much like this big screen re-telling, but I've never read it, so I'm gonna go ahead and really enjoy it anyway.
_Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._
CinemaSerf:
We start with images of two rather brutal hoodlums who have robbed and massacred the staff at a roadside motel and then sort of follow them into a town where "Tom" (Viggo Mortensen) runs the diner. They stop by one afternoon, intent on causing a bit of mayhem, only to discover that their host is a bit more capable of defending himself than they'd anticipated. Quickly "Tom" is lauded as an hero, and wife "Edie" (Maria Bello) and kids "Jack" (Ashton Holmes) and "Sarah" (Heidi Hayes) are proud to have their dad at home. What he hadn't anticipated, though, is that the publicity would attract the attention of one-eyed gangster "Fogarty" (Ed Harris) who arrives and starts calling him "Joey". Who's "Joey"? Well we quickly find out that nothing is as it seems and we gradually begin to realise that the past always has an habit of catching up with you. This is a violent film, but oddly enough I felt it rather visually tame as the pieces start to fall into place and the arrival of William Hurt signals an escalation that cleverly marries the comically menacing with the somewhat predictable conclusion. There's not a great deal of dialogue here, though not quite on the Clint Eastwood scale, and Mortensen holds it together increasingly well as we move along. It's one of the few films that I feel could have added half an hour or so, just so we get to grips a bit better with the characterisations and concomitant baggage, but as it is - it's well worth a look.