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Amazon.co.uk Review
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
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
If you're not familiar with this David Cronenberg gem, then you are missing out! It has style, substance & class performances from all. This new BD transfer is very good, with a very sharp & detailed picture & vibrant colours & inky blacks The DolbyTrueHD soundtrack is always fully immersive & given extra depth & dimensionality by a great musical score. This comes Highly Recommended!
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a gem of a movie. It is one of those rare treats that you can enjoy on multiple levels - as a straight forward thriller, or as it is really intended, as something much more thought provoking.
We start the movie with Tom Stall (Viggo Mortnesen) and his wife played by Mario Bello exhibit all the characteristics of a happy, safe, marriage. Passionate, intimate, good kids etc... Then their world is disrupted, when two bad guys come into the diner where he works. They set out to do nasty things, and Stall is propelled into a brief but highly effective eruption of violence. He is feted as a hero, but we begin to see the changes in his relationship with his son in particular as a result. As the town comes back to normal however, the ever brilliant Ed Harris comes into town. He is convinced Tom Stall is actually someone else altogether, an explanation that fits with the violence we have seen. To say more about the plot would be to deprive you of seeing how things unfold, so I will leave it at that.
It is in the subtexts that the movie excels - not telling us what we should think, but questioning our own reactions. Is his son right for using more violent means with bullies? Was a little violence necessary to balance his pacifist ways? Is the couples `violent' sex more real than the passion we see near the beginning of the movie?
As stated by others, it is after the movie ends and you start talking about the movie.. and you WILL start talking about the movie, that you will realise how effective it actually was. The performances are uniformly excellent - Mario Bello brings real credibility to a wife dealing with the changes in her husband, and Ashton Holmes as Tom Stall's son is brilliant. William Hurt is almost unrecognisable in the role of a mob boss teetering on the edge of sanity. And last but not least, Howard Shore gives a muted and perfectly sorrowful score, completely at odds with the violence in a way that helps the movie immensely.
There is violence, and there is sex, but all tightly controlled and more tense than graphic, and all carefully crafted to service the story. The ending will disappoint you if you tackle this as a mere action movie.. but if you want a real kick off into the whole subject of the influence and effects of violence, then this is a perfect place to start.
We start the movie with Tom Stall (Viggo Mortnesen) and his wife played by Mario Bello exhibit all the characteristics of a happy, safe, marriage. Passionate, intimate, good kids etc... Then their world is disrupted, when two bad guys come into the diner where he works. They set out to do nasty things, and Stall is propelled into a brief but highly effective eruption of violence. He is feted as a hero, but we begin to see the changes in his relationship with his son in particular as a result. As the town comes back to normal however, the ever brilliant Ed Harris comes into town. He is convinced Tom Stall is actually someone else altogether, an explanation that fits with the violence we have seen. To say more about the plot would be to deprive you of seeing how things unfold, so I will leave it at that.
It is in the subtexts that the movie excels - not telling us what we should think, but questioning our own reactions. Is his son right for using more violent means with bullies? Was a little violence necessary to balance his pacifist ways? Is the couples `violent' sex more real than the passion we see near the beginning of the movie?
As stated by others, it is after the movie ends and you start talking about the movie.. and you WILL start talking about the movie, that you will realise how effective it actually was. The performances are uniformly excellent - Mario Bello brings real credibility to a wife dealing with the changes in her husband, and Ashton Holmes as Tom Stall's son is brilliant. William Hurt is almost unrecognisable in the role of a mob boss teetering on the edge of sanity. And last but not least, Howard Shore gives a muted and perfectly sorrowful score, completely at odds with the violence in a way that helps the movie immensely.
There is violence, and there is sex, but all tightly controlled and more tense than graphic, and all carefully crafted to service the story. The ending will disappoint you if you tackle this as a mere action movie.. but if you want a real kick off into the whole subject of the influence and effects of violence, then this is a perfect place to start.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I have just finished watching this film (bought at a great price from Amazon) and was very, very impressed.
I do wonder whether some of the reviewers here watched something else - do give this one a try if you have a couple of hours to spare. You may like it, you may not but you will never know if you don't try it.
One reviewer mentioned that it is the viewer who plays the most important role, as it is our interpretation of the violence which makes the film really work. How can you be pleased when you see someone blown away? - somehow I was, which is disturbing.
One of my favourite films this year (but my husband just went 'yeah it was OK' so it won't be for everybody).
I do wonder whether some of the reviewers here watched something else - do give this one a try if you have a couple of hours to spare. You may like it, you may not but you will never know if you don't try it.
One reviewer mentioned that it is the viewer who plays the most important role, as it is our interpretation of the violence which makes the film really work. How can you be pleased when you see someone blown away? - somehow I was, which is disturbing.
One of my favourite films this year (but my husband just went 'yeah it was OK' so it won't be for everybody).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
What a piece of crap!
Can't believe the number of 5* ratings on here for this movie. This really was a terrible film. There I was relaxing and waiting to watch some top film and next thing what you get... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Mike
Fantastic film, great performances, another Cronenberg classic
I LOVE THIS FILM.
firstly im familiar with the graphic novel that was adapted into the screenplay and I have to say the film is far superior. Read more
firstly im familiar with the graphic novel that was adapted into the screenplay and I have to say the film is far superior. Read more
Published 15 days ago by G. S. Haynes
I seem to have watched a different film
Given the cast, full of actors I really like, given the opportunity for lots of admitedly fairly mindless action and mayhem, given the short running time. Read more
Published 1 month ago by fat man on a bicycle
The Great American Movie
Every now and again, though alas far too rarely, you see a film that is so much better than almost anything else on offer, so much richer, truer, with all concerned - director,... Read more
Published 3 months ago by GlynLuke
Plugged into the power grid
A History of Violence is a title that makes you think it's a case history or a way of describing a person's past or implying that violence is innate to us as a species. Read more
Published 3 months ago by technoguy
Why isn't this much better known? (spoiler alert!!)
Great film, from its gripping, menacing, start, through thorough, entertaining, plot and character development, to a surprising revalation and intriguing end. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Apple-eater
Brooding atmosphere; underlying threat
A languid opening sequence reveals portents of violence. The initial counterpoint is an idyllic family life; love permeating wife, husband and two children. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ian Hunter
The Howling
The story of the man without a past has been told before, but it remains a strong theme. Who are we? And what do we know of those with whom we interact? Read more
Published 13 months ago by Charles Vasey
A Disappointing Film of Two Halves.........
The first 45 mins were excellent, but once we find whether he is or isn't Joey (it isn't hard to work out let's face it), the film lapses into very routine territory, in my opinion... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Paul Chapman
a slow burner
A slow burner and ultimately slightly frustrating film as I just couldn't buy the sudden switch in the main character. Read more
Published 19 months ago by A. Wallis
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