A History of Violence (2005)


A History of Violence (2005)

A History of Violence (2005)

A History of Violence (2005)

A History of Violence (2005)

A History of Violence (2005)

A History of Violence (2005)

A History of Violence (2005)

A History of Violence (2005)


A History of Violence (2005)


Director: David Cronenberg


Cast: Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall, Maria Bello as Edie Stall, Ed Harris as Carl Fogarty, William Hurt as Richie Cusack, Ashton Holmes as Jack Stall, Peter MacNeill as Sheriff Sam Carney, Stephen McHattie as Leland, Greg Bryk as Billy, Kyle Schmid as Bobby, Sumela Kay as Judy Danvers, Gerry Quigley as Mick, Deborah Drakeford as Charlotte, Heidi Hayes as Sarah Stall, Aidan Devine as Charlie Roarke, Bill MacDonald as Frank Mulligan



This is, like all Cronenberg's work, a mythic movie. It occupies the
world of "monsters" that Tom Stall's daughter dreams about at the
start. It's as if we get to see the little girl's nightmare as the film
unfolds. It's because of this poetic, super-real quality that
criticisms from the "this isn't real life" brigade have no relevance.
The screenplay is exceptionally tight and well-woven - no image is
wasted. The subplot of the son's troubles with a school bully parallels
the main plot. The very existence of the son is there to show the
inheritance - the history - of violence. The sex scenes are there to
show the proximity of lust and violence. The end can be nothing other
than what it is: as someone else on IMDb has commented, the genie is
out of the bottle. This is true for the family in the film, the society
we see surrounding the family, and it's true for our families and our
society. It's about the inexhaustible rage of humans. It couldn't be
more relevant, it couldn't be more timeless. It is well acted and
beautifully photographed. I have some minor reservations - did we
really need so much of Howard Shore's music? - but on the whole I think
this is a superb film. Not for the kiddies, however.

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