A History of Violence (2005)
AN ORDINARY MAN. AN EXTRAORDINARY PAST.
U.S. Wide Release
Sep 30, 2005
Rotten Tomatoes
🍅 87%
Audience Score
🍿 81%
Official Synopsis
Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) lives a quiet, idyllic life in Millbrook, Indiana, with his wife Edie (Maria Bello) and their two children. This peace is shattered when Tom foils a brutal robbery at his diner, killing the assailants in self-defense. His heroic actions attract national media attention, bringing a scarred mobster named Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) to town. Fogarty insists that Tom is actually "Joey Cusack," a long-missing professional hitman from Philadelphia. As the pressure mounts, the fabric of the Stall family’s reality begins to unravel, forcing Tom to confront a dark history he desperately tried to bury.
Production Dossier
Financials
Budget: $32 Million
Box Office: $61.4 Million
Studio: New Line Cinema
Technical Specs
Cinematography: Peter Suschitzky
Editor: Ronald Sanders
Runtime: 96 Minutes
Cast & Crew
- Director: David Cronenberg
- Writers: Josh Olson (based on the graphic novel by John Wagner & Vince Locke)
- Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt, Ashton Holmes, Heidi Hayes
Primary Filming Locations
• Millbrook, Ontario, Canada: This small town stood in for the fictional Millbrook, Indiana.
• King City, Ontario: Used for various exterior shots of the Stall family farm.
• Toronto, Ontario: Primary studio work and city exteriors, including the "Philadelphia" dive bar (Stoopy's Tavern).
• Rockwood Conservation Area: Filming location for various woodland and outdoor sequences.
• King City, Ontario: Used for various exterior shots of the Stall family farm.
• Toronto, Ontario: Primary studio work and city exteriors, including the "Philadelphia" dive bar (Stoopy's Tavern).
• Rockwood Conservation Area: Filming location for various woodland and outdoor sequences.
Fun Facts
- The End of an Era: Released on DVD and VHS on March 14, 2006, it is widely cited as the last major Hollywood film to ever be released on the VHS format.
- Brief Brilliance: William Hurt earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor despite having less than 10 minutes of screen time.
- Graphic Origins: Many viewers were surprised to learn the film is actually an adaptation of a 1997 graphic novel; Cronenberg was reportedly unaware of the source material when he first read the script.
- Mortensen's Commitment: To prepare for the role of a small-town diner owner, Viggo Mortensen spent weeks in the actual town of Millbrook, Ontario, talking to locals and working behind a counter.
Original Review (Mar 13, 2006)
Arriving on DVD Tuesday is one of the best movies of last year.
Among the many impressive things about the film is that it's able to cram so much into less than two hours. It's based on a Graphic Novel, but credit has to go to Josh Olsen and director David Cronenberg for crafting such a well made movie.
The movie works on many different levels. It's a suspense thriller, it's a meditation on Violence, it's about chance, reform, regret and it's also a examination about family politics and identity.
Tom Stall is a seemingly mild mannered man who has a typical American family living in America's Heartland. But when a violent conflict occurs at his place of business. Tom is forced to react violently to save his employers and patrons. After he endures a brief brush with fame, a mysterious man (Ed Harris) arrives in town accusing Tom of being someone else. He claims that Tom is not who he claims to be, but in fact a man with a violent and questionable past.
The film boasts fine performances from it's stellar cast. Maria Bello, Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, and William Hurt all stand out with grounded exceptional work.
The film is directed by David Cronenberg and he, himself claims that it's his most commercial film to date. But if one is familiar with his work, what is commercial for him, may seem like Avant Garde for others.
There are lots of quirky Cronenberg touches in the film. The violent acts are shocking, unique and brutal. Images in the film seem to linger on the bloody aftermath slightly longer than most films. One moment sharing a second of blood squirting the next a close-up of a shattered nose. These extra images gives us that extra uncomfortable feeling of shock and disgust. The same can be said with the explicit sex scenes. Just when one feels the film will fade out, it shares with us that extra moment of shocking sexuality one usually wouldn't see in a standard Hollywood film. One almost gets the sense that it's a way for Cronenberg to put his stamp on the film, in case we've forgotten who's directed the film. But in reality the whole film has a strange surreal eerie feeling to it. The interactions of the townsfolk are almost too friendly. The supposed teenage son, seems slightly too old. The evil characters all have a quirky appearance and style that makes them stand out. Even the lead character is an unreliable protagonist. One second we feel for the character, the next we question his motives.
I guess less observant people can say the film is commercial. The overall subject matter is standard mystery/ suspense stuff. But what Cronenberg adds to the events are moments of humanity, and subtlety that elevate the film to something special.
Besides the aforementioned quirky traits, weaved into the film are moments of reflection and interaction that cut deeper than most films. Lots of it is done with looks, and atmosphere that can't be fully articulated in a review.
It's a fine accomplishment, and it's not surprising that the film was recognized by many critics as one of the top ten films of the year, as well as receiving Academy Award nominations for Screenplay and supporting actor.
Make sure to check out this riveting film.
Among the many impressive things about the film is that it's able to cram so much into less than two hours. It's based on a Graphic Novel, but credit has to go to Josh Olsen and director David Cronenberg for crafting such a well made movie.
The movie works on many different levels. It's a suspense thriller, it's a meditation on Violence, it's about chance, reform, regret and it's also a examination about family politics and identity.
Tom Stall is a seemingly mild mannered man who has a typical American family living in America's Heartland. But when a violent conflict occurs at his place of business. Tom is forced to react violently to save his employers and patrons. After he endures a brief brush with fame, a mysterious man (Ed Harris) arrives in town accusing Tom of being someone else. He claims that Tom is not who he claims to be, but in fact a man with a violent and questionable past.
The film boasts fine performances from it's stellar cast. Maria Bello, Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, and William Hurt all stand out with grounded exceptional work.
The film is directed by David Cronenberg and he, himself claims that it's his most commercial film to date. But if one is familiar with his work, what is commercial for him, may seem like Avant Garde for others.
There are lots of quirky Cronenberg touches in the film. The violent acts are shocking, unique and brutal. Images in the film seem to linger on the bloody aftermath slightly longer than most films. One moment sharing a second of blood squirting the next a close-up of a shattered nose. These extra images gives us that extra uncomfortable feeling of shock and disgust. The same can be said with the explicit sex scenes. Just when one feels the film will fade out, it shares with us that extra moment of shocking sexuality one usually wouldn't see in a standard Hollywood film. One almost gets the sense that it's a way for Cronenberg to put his stamp on the film, in case we've forgotten who's directed the film. But in reality the whole film has a strange surreal eerie feeling to it. The interactions of the townsfolk are almost too friendly. The supposed teenage son, seems slightly too old. The evil characters all have a quirky appearance and style that makes them stand out. Even the lead character is an unreliable protagonist. One second we feel for the character, the next we question his motives.
I guess less observant people can say the film is commercial. The overall subject matter is standard mystery/ suspense stuff. But what Cronenberg adds to the events are moments of humanity, and subtlety that elevate the film to something special.
Besides the aforementioned quirky traits, weaved into the film are moments of reflection and interaction that cut deeper than most films. Lots of it is done with looks, and atmosphere that can't be fully articulated in a review.
It's a fine accomplishment, and it's not surprising that the film was recognized by many critics as one of the top ten films of the year, as well as receiving Academy Award nominations for Screenplay and supporting actor.
Make sure to check out this riveting film.
Highlight Reel Refresh Template
No comments:
Post a Comment