A History Of Violence

UK Release Date. 30 September 2005
Certification. 18
Running Time. 1 hour 36 mins
Director. David Cronenberg
Cast. Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt, Viggo Mortensen.
Rating. 72%

Review.

Though A History Of Violence can be viewed purely as a crime thriller, director David Cronenberg transforms genre staples into an absolutely riveting character study of a man engulfed in violence. 

Based on an adaptation of the classic graphic novel, A History Of Violence, published by DC Comics, Cronenberg's A History Of Violence has to be one of the most malevolent comic book films ever made. The film certainly can boast to be one of the best graphic novel adaptations of all time.

In a storyline heavily influenced by the western, Viggo Mortensen stars as local diner owner, Tom Stall whose quick-thinking act of heroism - foiling a robbery at gunpoint - would appear to reignite deeper impulses from a dark and distant past. Hailed as a local hero by the good people of Millbook, Indiana, his wife and two children are powerless to affect the ensuing narrative. Tom Stall is portrayed as a peaceful man caught in the midst of a horrifying metamorphosis; one he is seemingly powerless to control. This sends his wife Edie (Maria Bello) reeling with extreme repulsion and desire. Mortensen and Bello are superb together, with Bello in particular, perfectly conveying her unease with the changes in her husband.

Following 2002's Spider, A History Of Violence is one of the more accessible of David Cronenberg's films, even though it is layered with the themes of infection and mutation that have defined his work. Violence is seen as a contagion, arriving like a virus uninvited into this family's lives, slowly infecting each of them. Cronenberg retains a moral and intellectual position in the middle distance. It is clear that the director wants to make the point we're all capable of violence, but how we indulge this base instinct is what defines us. Whether masked or contained, it would appear repression only makes it stronger.