Country:
USA
Recognizable Faces:
Viggo Mortensen
Maria Bello
Ed Harris
William Hurt
Directed by:
David Cronenberg
I do that sometimes. I revisit these movies I love. I remember wanting to go see A History Of Violence as soon as I saw the trailer on TV. Why? Two reasons. First, it's David Cronenberg. He's a madman, a sadist and one hell of a director. I never miss out on anything he does (except maybe for The Fly...my stomach didn't support). Also, A History Of Violence appeared to me as a low-key family drama. With the demented Cronenbergian perspective, this had a the potential for my can't-get-better-than-this category.
STORYLINE
Tom Stall (Mortensen) is your All-American fun-loving family father from Indiana. He lives an annoyingly perfect life as a dinner owner in the small community of Milbrook, with his hot wife Edie (Bello) and his two smart and fun-loving kids Jack (Ashton Holmes) and Sarah (Heidi Hayes).
The happiness is doomed the day the fragile equilibrium of Milbrook is shook by the visit of two gangsters on the run. Already exposed as violent and depraved, they try and stick up Tom's dinner using brute force and persuasion through violence and murder. First willing to give the money, Tom ends up brutally killing the intruders in order to save his waitress, who was under a direct threat. This act of heroism woke up old demons from Tom's nebulous past, one demon in particular going by the name of Carl Fogarty (Harris)
It's kept nebulous, but Fogarty seems to be a business competitor of Tom's mobster brother Richie (William Hurt) and unveils to Tom's wife his real name: Joey Cusack. Tormented by the re-apparition of people (and part of himself he thought dead), Tom will fight to keep him family safe and his past where it belong (behind him).
DIRECTION
Cronenberg is a stylish man. He's easily recognizable by his tense atmosphere, his minimalist use of soundtrack and his great, oh so great "fleshy" scenes. He's one director who doesn't shy away from gore or sex and A History Of Violence is full of this without being provocative. Passionnate, but quick sex scenes in between Bello & Mortensen and brutal, yet realistic fight scenes shock the viewers but never cheat the overall low-key tone of the story.
It's in the pacing that A History of Violence is so great. There is no wasted film space in this movie. Every scene flows into the other with relevance and wits. There is no such thing as character building scenes, one scene is the logical sequel from its predecessor, building the violence and the tension up to incredible levels.
ACTING
Mortensen and Bello make a great couple. There is love in there eyes and the quiet passion of happy people in whatever they do. Ashton Holmes is great as the role, he gives a believable turn to his problems, his doubts and his fears. Ed Harris masters the art of delivering veiled threats, which is a complicated task that almost every actors fails at. He gives his line with smooth debonnaire and a mysterious smile that contradict his scarred face enough for the viewers to believe him.
Viggo Mortensen delivers his best job as Tom Stall/Joey Cusack, constantly switching new and old personalities without any warning to the viewers. He hits that subtle switch you can see in his eyes and becomes somebody else. The best acting job of the movie...and one of the best acting jobs ever (living up to Dennis Hopper's in Blue Velvet)is the one of William Hurt. He plays Richie Cusack, Joey's brother, troubled and conflicted at the idea of confronthing his own brother about the past. His short cameo displays an array of complex emotions on his face and his demeanor, which makes for an unforgettable part.
INTEREST
A History Of Violence is one of these few movies that get better with every viewings. Knowing the delivery and the twists of the story makes you appreciate even more the subtleties of David Cronenberg and his cast. This is an outlandish drama suited to the day to day life of Mr. Everyman. There's nothing about this movie that I don't like. It's strong but smart, the acting carries what the narrative direction can't and the subtext to the tense scenes is rich and overflowing. It can't get any better than this.
SCORE: 100%
