A History of Violence (New Line Platinum Series)

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A History of Violence (New Line Platinum Series)

Actor(s):

Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt, Ashton Holmes

Director(s):

David Cronenberg

Label: New Line Home Video
Publisher(s):

New Line Home Video

Studio: New Line Home Video
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
Binding: DVD
Brand: MORTENSEN,VIGGO
MPN: TRNDN10095D
Format(s): Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Rating: R (Restricted)
List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $5.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Editorial Reviews

Description

An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father (Viggo Mortensen) commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Director David Cronenberg Commentary
Deleted Scenes:Deleted scene w/director commentary
Documentary:"Acts of Violence" documentary
Easter Eggs
Featurette:"The Unmakeing of Scene 44" "Violence's History: U.S. vs. International Versions" "Too Commercial for Cannes"

Amazon.com

On the surface, David Cronenberg may seem an unlikely candidate to direct A History of Violence, but dig deeper and you'll see that he's the right man for the job. As an intellectual seeker of meaning and an avowed believer in Darwinian survival of the fittest, Cronenberg knows that the story of mild-mannered small-town diner proprietor Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is in fact a multilayered examination of inbred human behavior, beginning when Tom's skillful killing of two would-be robbers draws unwanted attention to his idyllic family life in rural Indiana. He's got a loving wife (Maria Bello) and young daughter (Heidi Hayes) who are about to learn things about Tom they hadn't suspected, and a teenage son (Ashton Holmes) who has inherited his father's most prominent survival trait, manifesting itself in ways he never expected. By the time Tom has come into contact with a scarred villain (Ed Harris) and connections that lead him to a half-crazy kingpin (William Hurt, in a spectacular cameo), Cronenberg has plumbed the dark depths of human nature so skillfully that A History of Violence stands well above the graphic novel that inspired it (indeed, Cronenberg was unaware of the source material behind Josh Olson's chilling adaptation). With hard-hitting violence that's as sudden as it is graphically authentic, this is A History of Violence that's worthy of serious study and widespread acclaim. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD
On a single disc and with little fanfare, this DVD makes an excellent case for the best extras of the year. Dive into the one-hour-long documentary and learn more about moviemaking than on many a double-disc. The secret lies in director David Cronenberg's (and his usual crew) folksy casualness in showing off the craft, be it makeup (green screens were used), directing (Cronenberg doesn't storyboard), or art direction (the diner set). It also is very funny to hear about "fish Fridays" and how Maria Bello's Uncle Pete became an influence. Even the infamous sex-on-the-staircase scene is diagnosed with candor as stars Viggo Mortensen and Bello act as if there is no backstage camera. There's only one deleted scene, but it's uncommonly deconstructed on why it was filmed and why it was cut (it's a very Cronenbergian dream sequence). A short bit on Cannes is also a delight. So much is here that Cronenberg's smart commentary track is nearly superfluous. Isn't that a nice surprise? --Doug Thomas

More to Explore

The Graphic Novel	Other Graphic Novels that Inspired Movies	David Cronenberg Essentials
Why We Love Maria Bello	The work of Viggo Mortensen	The work of William Hurt

Stills from A History of Violence

Viggo Mortensoe as Tom Stall	Ashton Holmes as Jack Stall and Kyle Schmid as Bobby Jordan
William Hurt as Richie Cusack	Ed Harris as Carl Fogarty and Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall
Maria Bello as Edie Stall	Director David Cronenberg

Customer Reviews

Don't waste your time.

This movie was a complete waste of time. I was drawn to the big names in the movie and figured it would be interesting but I was sorely dissappointed. The dialogue was pathetic and the acting was laughable. I can only shake my head in wonder at how a movie like this gets produced. There wasn't any portion of this movie grounded in reality. The plot was an empty shell that made a hollow march towards an idiotic ending. The only reason I'm writing this review is to save someone else the time and money this farce cost me and hopefully make the world a slightly better place.

Pretentious title, movie garbage

Pretentious title, movie garbage. I kept thinking, "This has to be tongue in cheek. He can't be serious." But apparently he was.

What is William Hurt doing in a thing like this? Fortunately, he isn't in it for long.

An experienced moviegoer would guess from the casting of the hero everything that was to follow.

Barely made it through

I hardly made it through this movie. I love Viggo Mortensen, and that's the only reason I stuck with it. The acting was sub par and left a LOT to be desired. Everyone was very monotone and inexpressive. The plot had the potential to be interesting, but wasn't followed through with. The soundtrack also was uninteresting and didn't really add to the film. If you want an interesting action movie, look elsewhere.

A Past That's Best Forgotten

WARNING: This film contains strong brutal violence, graphic sexuality/nudity, explicit language, and brief drug use.

In the film A History of Violence, director David Cronenberg (Videodrome and Crash) examines America's fascination with violence. At the same time, both compelling and disturbing, the film shows the way that violence affects the residents of a small town in the Midwest. Utilizing his sense of irony, as well as his cinematic ability to create suspense, Cronenberg focuses on the characters, their motivations, their actions, and their regrets. He forces viewers to ask themselves what the consequences of violence are and whether or not killing can ever be justified?

Tom Stall and his family seem like your typical church-going, honest American family, but all of that changes on one fateful night when two psychotic criminals threaten the patrons of Tom's diner and Tom shoots them both, in self-defense, and kills them. Suddenly Tom finds himself a quasi-celebrity and the dynamic of his family shifts. His wife Edie, his son Jack, and his daughter Sarah become aware that Tom is more than what they thought. Their lives are intruded upon when a group of hitmen from Philadelphia claim that Tom is really a killer named Joey Cusack. Lead by a man named Carl Fogarty, the hitmen target Tom's family and Tom begins to show a paranoid and aggressive dark side that scares his loved ones. After a final confrontation with Fogarty and his men, Tom and his wife's marriage is fractured and their lives are forever altered. Is Tom really Joey, a killer for the mob? And if so, can he find redemption or is he always going to be haunted by this history of violence?

The film is certainly Cronenberg's most commercial endeavor and this is in part because of the brilliant cast featuring Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall, Maria Bello as Edie Stall, Ed Harris as Carl Fogarty, and William Hurt as Richie Cusack.
When New Line Cinema released A History of Violence, they advertised it as an action/thriller, which isn't entirely accurate. While the film contains action and is sure to thrill, it's really more of a character study showing the dualism of one man's identity and his attempts to forget his past. It's also a stark reminder of what desperation can drive us to do.

Also recommended:
Straw Dogs
Death Wish
Taxi Driver
The Bourne Identity (1988 television version)
The Films of Michael Haneke
Ransom
Memento
Road to Perdition

Identity Crisis...

Viggo Mortensen (A Perfect Murder, Lord Of The Rings 1-3) plays Tom Stall, a family man in a small town. Tom and his lovely wife (Maria Bello) live a peaceful, ordinary life raising their kids. All is well until a pair of cold-blooded killers decide to rob the diner where Tom works. In the chaos, Tom displays incredible fighting skills, taking out both men w/ quick, lethal force. Tom becomes a media hero, but just wants the whole incident to be forgotten. A few days later, a trio of well-dressed thugs arrive in town, lead by a very sinister Ed Harris. What do these guys want? What secret is Tom hiding? A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE is a story of betrayal, lies, and murder. It's also the tale of a man's attempt to escape his past by becoming someone new, someone better. Mortensen is his usual calm / cool self, dispatching bad-guys like human dominoes. The physical, visceral stuff is easy for his character. Living a normal life is what becomes far more difficult. After all, what does murder and mayhem have in common w/ being a loving husband and father? As for the "shocking" scene on the stairs, I found it to be a perfect way to show the conflict between love and revulsion that Tom's wife must face. Unsettling, yet confusingly erotic. Bello shows great frustration and anger mixed w/ longing and release. A unique sequence to say the least! Buy immediately...

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