A History of Violence
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris
Directed by: David Cronenberg
"One’s real life is often the life that one does not lead."
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris
Directed by: David Cronenberg
"One’s real life is often the life that one does not lead."
— Oscar Wilde, Anglo-Irish wit and author (1854-1900)
Based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence is a stunning and beautiful film, packed with emotion and fear. It is truly a cinematic triumph. Canadian Director David Cronenberg has created a film so rare and so powerful that it tests the body, the mind, and the soul as few films this year.
Based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence is a stunning and beautiful film, packed with emotion and fear. It is truly a cinematic triumph. Canadian Director David Cronenberg has created a film so rare and so powerful that it tests the body, the mind, and the soul as few films this year.
Set in a small town in Indiana, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen in the role of his career) is a pleasant and likable man who owns a small diner unnoticeable outside the town. He fathers two children, Jack (Ashton Homes), and Sarah (Heidi Hayes) and is married to a lawyer, Edie (an Oscar caliber performance from Maria Bello). Cronenberg captures the family as present day people and not an innocent family from the 50's. Tom and Edie still sneak off for teenage romance in the middle of the day.
Life seems to become chaotic when two men walk into Tom's diner demanding cash from the drawer. As things escalate, Tom defends himself, the employees, and the customers by killing both men with incredible amounts of skill that no ordinary man would know. But, without question, Tom becomes a local hero. This publicity attracts three strange men to the town. The leader of the three is Carl Fogarty (the brilliantly talented Ed Harris) a brutally scared, Irishmen from Philadelphia who claims that Tom is not who says he is. Tom denies this, causing extreme contingency between him and Carl. Ed Harris just seems to get better and better. The way he unfolds each scene with his creativity and style truly is the work of a master.
Later on in the film, Tom kills again in self-defense with skills no ordinary man would know. His family questions his truth. Who is this man? Though I’ll never tell who he really is, I will tell you that later on in the film Tom travels to Philadelphia to end a confrontation between him and a man from his past. This man, played by William Hurt, is one of the greatest cameo performances in the history of cinema. A History of Violence is an exuberant and deeply emotional tale of love. Edie and Tom's love begins to fade. Can they save their marriage? Can their children accept their father once more? The ending will totally blow you away. A History of Violence is one of the crowning spectacle of 2005.
Later on in the film, Tom kills again in self-defense with skills no ordinary man would know. His family questions his truth. Who is this man? Though I’ll never tell who he really is, I will tell you that later on in the film Tom travels to Philadelphia to end a confrontation between him and a man from his past. This man, played by William Hurt, is one of the greatest cameo performances in the history of cinema. A History of Violence is an exuberant and deeply emotional tale of love. Edie and Tom's love begins to fade. Can they save their marriage? Can their children accept their father once more? The ending will totally blow you away. A History of Violence is one of the crowning spectacle of 2005.
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