Review: A History of Violence


Its been a while and I figured it would be easier to start off with something that is personal to me, yet allows me to be objective in my dissection of its content. I saw the film A History of Violence a week ago. I had been under a heavy bombardment of hype, describing it as a combination of film noir and spaghetti western. The film hails from director David Cronenberg who has warped the psyche of his viewers with films like The Fly, Crash, Existenz, and Scanners decided to bring things full circle and deal with a simple concept which is the dissolution of the small-town hero. The story starts out with two criminals in the midst of a killing spree. They waste whatever person lies in their path. One aspect that I did like about the beginning is that the criminals do not seem to take satisfaction in their homicidal tendencies. They kill for survival, not for pleasure. Some films have a tendency to glamorize death and killers. Like they have an invisible moral shield that hides them from the repercussions of their actions. Cronenberg reintroduces consequence and a semblance of mortality to the killers.
The film then shifts to introduces Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) who seems to be the epitome of the "nice guy". The film shows Tom at home and then with his lovely wife Edie (Maria Bello). Their relationship is pristine. They have two well-behaved kids and a nice home. But the two men from the beginning of the film come to Tom's diner and threaten the town. To the customer's surprise and the rest of the town, Tom breaks into action and easily and brutally dispenses of the two criminals. The thing that I personally didn't like about the metamorphosis of Tom is that it happened too quickly. The same flaw is evident in action films like The Rock, where a total passive character (i.e. Nicholas Cage's huber nerdy nuclear scientist character) and becomes G.I. Joe in the matter of one scene. There should be a sense of cohesion, or at least enough development throughout the plot that the transition seems valid. Tom's son also goes through a similar transition. He is having problems at school with a bully. The major problem I had with the villain is that he looked like a J. Crew cover boy. Pretty boys are NOT badasses! His hair was even styled. What the shit is that? Needless to say, the son soon shifts his personality and deals with his bully in a totally unrealistic and almost insulting fashion.
The highlight of the film was Ed Harris. He stars as a mafia boss from Philadelphia who claims Tom is actually a former hitman named Joey Cusack. Ed Harris is the only pseudo menacing character in the film, mostly due to his scarred eye. Tom is reluctant to admit the truth to his family and himself. Of course there is a confrontation when Tom revisits his past and it wraps up VERY conveniently.
The major problem with the story is that thematically the story does not come to fuition. The major questions, what is the essence of violence, what effect does violence have on the morality of a man, and is it possible to repent for a history of violence, are never answered. The running time for the movie is about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
The next major problem is that casting. Viggo Mortensen just is not that intimidating. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be because he was supposed to convey the "everyman" but when it comes time for him to be brutal it just off as clumsy. I don't think he could kick my ass and I found it problematic to have such an individual portray such a character.
The next problem are the sex scenes. There are two sex scenes, one sentimental and the other pretty.........pornographic. Both scenes are between Tom and his wife. The first is the couples attempt to recapture their youth by having a little role play. Tom's wife puts on a nice little cheerleader uniform and some hanky panky ensues. The next sex scene is much more intense. It is in the middle of a fight and it occurs on the stairs of the couple's house. The passion is still evident but it is warped in such a way that it almost uncomfortable to watch. The sex scene is supposed to function to display a transition from Tom to Joey but it is just.......vulgar and really excessive.
The film was not that bad, but the hype definitely did not benefit it. If anyone out there is looking about a tale of violence and redemption check out Clint Eastwood's masterpiece Unfogiven, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, or Once Upon a Time in the West. This faux spaghetti western is on the verge of greatness but it gets muddled in its own message and becomes lost.