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Movies / On DVD / A History of Violence
A History of Violence

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A History of Violence (2005)

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Reviews Counted:195

Fresh:169

Rotten:26

Average Rating:7.9/10

Consensus: A History of Violence raises compelling and thoughtful questions about the nature of violence.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Thriller, Theatrical Release, Comic Book

Theatrical Release:Sep 30, 2005 Wide

Box Office: $31,408,459

Synopsis: Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is living a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife (Maria Bello) and their two children in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana, but one night their idyllic existence... Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is living a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife (Maria Bello) and their two children in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana, but one night their idyllic existence is shattered when Tom foils a vicious attempted robbery in his diner. Sensing danger, he takes action and saves his customers and friends in the self-defense killings of two-sought-after criminals. Heralded as a hero, Tom’s life is changed overnight, attracting a national media circus, which forces him into the spotlight. Uncomfortable with his newfound celebrity, Tom tries to return to the normalcy of his ordinary life only to be confronted by a mysterious and threatening man (Ed Harris) who arrives in town believing Tom is the man who’s wronged him in the past. As Tom and his family fight back against this case of mistaken identity and struggle to cope with their changed reality, they are forced to confront their relationships and the divisive issues which surface as a result. A History of Violence is directed by acclaimed filmmaker David Cronenberg (Crash, Spider, Dead Ringers) from a screenplay by Josh Olson. The film stars Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings, Hidalgo), Maria Bello (The Cooler), William Hurt (The Village, Oscar-winning Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ed Harris (Pollack) and Ashton Holmes. The film is produced by Chris Bender and JC Spink of Benderspink (The Butterfly Effect, Monster-in-Law) with Justis Greene, Roger E. Kass and Josh Braun serving as executive producers. The motion picture shot in Toronto and in various countryside locations, including Millbrook, Ontario for 11 weeks from September through to November 19th, 2004. New Line Cinema will release A History of Violence on September 30th, 2005. The film will make its world premiere at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival in May. [More]

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, Ed Harris

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Stephen McHattie, Peter MacNeill

Director: David Cronenberg

Director: David Cronenberg
Screenwriter: Josh Olson
Producer: David Cronenberg, Josh Braun, Justis Greene
Composer: Howard Shore
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Release:

Mar 14, 2006

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • History of Violence, A
  • An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father (Viggo Mortensen) commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.
  • Source: Warner Home Video
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for A History of Violence

    • T-Meter Critics
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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
    Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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    Impeccable formal control to match audacity is mandatory, and Cronenberg provides it

    Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
    09/01/09
    Fernando F. Croce
    Fernando F. Croce
    CinePassion

    The movie begins slowly, methodically, and builds increasingly toward a devastating climax.

    Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
    02/14/09
    John J. Puccio
    John J. Puccio
    DVDTown.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
    01/15/08
    Garth Franklin
    Garth Franklin
    Dark Horizons

    The tension builds in a slow boil, then ignites furiously when we're not quite ready for it.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    09/17/07
    Rob Gonsalves
    Rob Gonsalves
    eFilmCritic.com

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
    07/14/07
    Joe Lozito
    Joe Lozito
    Big Picture Big Sound

    Shows its stuff as both suspenseful, eloquent storytelling, while giving rise to larger cultural questions connected to the entrenched institutionalization of aggression as a major means of problem solving in this country.

    Full Review Source: WBAI Web Radio | comment 1 Comment
    02/08/07
    Prairie Miller
    Prairie Miller
    WBAI Web Radio

    A History of Violence develops with the singleness of purpose, and the rigor, of a mathematical demonstration, one that begins with a commonly accepted truth and ends with brains spattered across the floor.

    Full Review Source: Nation | comment Comment
    11/11/06
    Stuart Klawans
    Stuart Klawans
    Nation

    full review in Greek

    Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
    10/03/06
    Joseph Proimakis
    Joseph Proimakis
    Movies for the Masses

    Cronenberg's masterful, intelligent and gripping meta-thriller leaves us pondering about our enduringly perverse desire for alternative realities, in which surrogate violent alter egos run righteously and preposterously amok.

    Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
    09/28/06
    Richard Falcon
    Richard Falcon
    Sight and Sound

    A smart, absorbing thriller

    Full Review Source: Perihelion Journal | comment Comment
    08/26/06
    Jay Antani
    Jay Antani
    Perihelion Journal

    A remarkably convincing examination of heroism, hero worship, and the seductive allure of villainy.

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    05/12/06
    Ken Tucker
    Ken Tucker
    New York Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
    03/10/06
    Sydney Morning Herald

    A tantalisingly explosive film about inner conflicts and secrets... a sublime psychological thriller in a western setting.

    Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
    03/04/06
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile

    A strange David Cronenberg movie, and not in the usual audaciously morbid way. A brooding, contemplative picture that's tough, tight and masterfully controlled.

    Full Review Source: MTV | comment Comment
    02/07/06
    Kurt Loder
    Kurt Loder
    MTV

    Lo más reciente del canadiense David Cronenberg es un sólido thriller, casi de factura clásica, sobre las ramificaciones de la violencia.

    Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
    01/12/06
    Enrique Buchichio
    Enrique Buchichio
    Uruguay Total

    I have no doubt that the humor is intentional, but it serves to undercut the whole thematic conflict.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
    12/15/05
    Andy Klein
    Andy Klein
    Los Angeles CityBeat

    What Mortensen does brilliantly is to keep us guessing.

    Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Anthony Quinn
    Anthony Quinn
    Independent

    There are elements in this film that are 100% Cronenberg (the beautiful violence we so rarely see these days, subtle weird humor), but this is not your typical Cronenberg

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Michael Ferraro
    Michael Ferraro
    Film Threat

    See this movie -- I promise it won't be like any other movie you've ever seen, and may well change the way you look at violence in the movies.

    Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
    11/11/05
    MaryAnn Johanson
    MaryAnn Johanson
    Flick Filosopher

    Tematicamente ambicioso, demonstra ter segurança suficiente da força de sua narrativa ao permitir que o espectador saia do cinema sem estar completamente certo de como tudo terminou. E esta talvez seja uma de suas maiores virtudes.

    Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
    11/11/05
    Pablo Villaca
    Pablo Villaca
    Cinema em Cena
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    Latest News for A History of Violence

    September 26, 2008: Paramount Taking Child's One Shot with Olson Opens in new window
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