While it weakens in its final stretch...A History of Violence succeeds enormously thanks to the strength of its direction and performances.
CommentAug 16, 2010
A History of Violence (2005)
87
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:201
Fresh:175
Rotten:26
Average Rating:7.9/10
Consensus: A History of Violence raises compelling and thoughtful questions about the nature of violence, while representing a return to form for director David Cronenberg -- in one of his more uncharacteristic pieces.
Theatrical Release: Sep 23, 2005 Wide
Box Office: $31.4M
Synopsis: Tom Stall is living a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife and their two children in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana, but one night their... [More]
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ashton Holmes, William Hurt
Director: David Cronenberg
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REVIEWS FOR A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
A truly entertaining and engrossing study of violence, family, and our pasts eventually coming back to haunt us...
Jun 23, 2010
The violence that enters the characters' perfect domestic existence is permanent, and each act reveals truths about the people who use it and the audience who enjoys it.
Jun 7, 2010
Impeccable formal control to match audacity is mandatory, and Cronenberg provides it
Sep 1, 2009
The movie begins slowly, methodically, and builds increasingly toward a devastating climax.
Feb 14, 2009
It's one of the better dramas of the year so far -- even if at times it feels like an artistic genius is painting by numbers.
Jan 15, 2008
The tension builds in a slow boil, then ignites furiously when we're not quite ready for it.
Sep 17, 2007
Mr. Mortensen and the sparse, intelligent script hold it together.
Jul 14, 2007
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.
Feb 8, 2007
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.
Nov 11, 2006
full review in Greek
Oct 3, 2006
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.
Sep 28, 2006
A remarkably convincing examination of heroism, hero worship, and the seductive allure of villainy.
May 12, 2006
Top CriticThere's nothing more off-putting than being treated like a guinea pig.
Mar 10, 2006
A tantalisingly explosive film about inner conflicts and secrets... a sublime psychological thriller in a western setting.
Mar 4, 2006
A strange David Cronenberg movie, and not in the usual audaciously morbid way. A brooding, contemplative picture that's tough, tight and masterfully controlled.
Feb 7, 2006
Lo más reciente del canadiense David Cronenberg es un sólido thriller, casi de factura clásica, sobre las ramificaciones de la violencia.
Jan 12, 2006
I have no doubt that the humor is intentional, but it serves to undercut the whole thematic conflict.
Dec 15, 2005
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
Dec 6, 2005
What Mortensen does brilliantly is to keep us guessing.
Dec 6, 2005
LATEST NEWS FOR A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
September 26, 2008:
Paramount Taking Child's One Shot with Olson
Paramount has hired "A History of Violence" screenwriter Josh Olson to pen an adaptation of Lee Child's "One Shot" novel, about "an ex-Army policeman who...gets tangled up with an ex-infantry...
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December 24, 2007:
RT on DVD: Rush Hour 3, The Kingdom, and More!
There's action and drama to be found this week, and not just with your family at Christmas dinner. And if you couldn't make it out of town for the holidays, you're in luck; this week's DVDs take you...
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October 2, 2007:
Cory Goodman to Remake Cronenberg's Brood
You guys! Check it out! You aren't going to believe this, but...it's a news item about a remake!
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September 20, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Jovovich vs. Alba in Multiplex Mayhem
Jodie Foster will find herself in the middle of a catfight over the number one spot this weekend. The star of current chart-topper The Brave One will face challenges from Milla Jovovich's new action...
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September 12, 2007:
RT Talks Eastern Promises with David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen
The upcoming Eastern Promises marks the second collaboration between David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen since A History of Violence in 2006. A crime drama with an interest in principles of family,...
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