William Hurt Movie:

Editorial Review:
A quiet man's family life threatens to fall apart when an act of self-defense thrusts him into the spotlight.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 14-MAR-2006
Media Type: DVD

Description of A History of Violence (New Line Platinum Series):
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

A History of Violence (New Line Platinum Series) Reviews:
One star too many
2008-07-29 - Truly one of the worst films I've ever seen. The people who have posted the same really make sense on this one. Shockingly bad acting, dreadful dialogue, so cliche-ridden there isn't any point in watching it past the first 20 or 30 minutes - you know everything that is going to happen. And those first 20 or 30 minutes set the pace: they crawl by, as we are introduced to the family and their fellow smalltown Mayberry inhabitants, every one of them straight from Central Casting and the prop room. The same sheriff we've all seen a zillion times saying the same lines. The same town, same stoic Reluctant Hero that is the head of America's Stupidest Family unwittingly pursued by the bad guys in black cars - standard fare, all the way down the line. Totally implausible dialogue spoken between family members in nearly every scene. A soundtrack generic as they come, and sound editing that defies any sense of natural dynamics. BTW there is no "twist" in the plot. If you call it a plot. The lack thereof, however, does not dissuade this director from filling the "storyline" with as many non sequiturs as possible. There is no profound message here that hasn't been recycled in hundreds of made-for-TV movies, usually better. I'm quite surprised, as I enjoyed Eastern Promises pretty well.

The past catches up with you
2008-07-02 - A young MOB killer tries to have a new clean, normal life
and 20 years later when two small time robber / killers try to
hurt his diner employees, he reverts to boyhood 'skills'.
That gets him press and the MOB comes looking for him.
They find him and his teen age son
who doesn't fall short of the tree.
His brother is an east coast boss who tries to kill him when he tries to make peace there,too. Sort of a Shakespeare tragedy of all MOB dead on stage...
Any ending here can't be classically happy.

Home town hero
2008-06-26 - While somewhat predictable, it's a great movie. I loved it. It keeps you going. I'm glad I have this movie in my collection. My only complaint is the movie was not long enough. I think they should have given us a little more background on Tom,i.e., how he came to be in the
Witness Protection Program. Well directed and put together. I recommend this movie to people who like action.

anyone from Philly barf at this farce?
2008-06-18 - two stars primarily because Viggo is theee only decent aspect of the film and almost "gets" the transformation from mundane, humble Indiana married for 20 years but has no clue how to make the bed when his wife is promising something "different?" to some tough guy from who knows where in Philly with the brothers mansion and Richie (Hurt) cannot believe that the Turf n Track is STILL STANDING and it looks like a 5* elegant restaurant and DANG that accent is well, all I can say is FIRE THE NUMBNUTz dialect coach...Ed Harris has seen lol better dayz but you just do not harass an enemy like that when u really mean to whack him....history of violence??? HUH? no correlation IMHO for any type of storyline that provokes insight or follow-up except snapping at threatening situations...if u wanna see great action scenes with double lives...go see TRUE LIES..sorry Viggo luved Hidalgo and have been a fan since WITNESS...the Cronenberg commentary was interesting that he NEVER EVER storyboards....whoa what a concept but I bet he couldn't sleep a wink thinking about all the bloodletting scenes, only time he came alive in the discussion...

Brutally Overrated
2008-06-15 - I came into this movie expecting something engrossing and overall very rewarding, based on the word of what others have said about it. What I saw could only be called a mess. While I think Cronenberg is at many times a competent filmmaker, this is very much a terrible film. My biggest problem with it stems from the wife. She brings an unneccessary and ridiculous level of drama to every scene she's in, and really distracts from the plot. I wouldn't say that the film drags at any part, but what it does is ignore the aspects that would be the most interesting to the viewer. I was left wanting a lot more fight sequences, and possibly more interaction with the sheriff. It's sad that him and the brother were pushed aside in the story, as they could've in my opinion, saved the film from being a trainwreck. Bottom line, if you want to watch a good Cronenberg movie, give this a pass and check out some of his older stuff like Videodrome.