Bloody Tranquil
A History of Violence
dir. David Cronenberg; starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris
A History of Violence is the latest offering from notorious director David Cronenberg. An efficient thriller, the theme explicitly spelt out in the title, it delves into the effect a man’s history has upon his life. Tom Stall, a convincing Viggo Mortensen, is a quiet respectable man. His peaceful life is shaken apart by the arrival of two violent criminals who stage a robbery in his diner.
Showing a propensity for violence he kills the two men but the resulting media attention draws the attention of the mob who claim there is more to Tom than the surface detail. Cronenberg delights in exploring challenging themes. While A History of Violence maintains a healthy level of curiosity, its effectiveness is reduced by a feeling of ‘so what?’ when the conclusion draws. Despite this the film is entertaining and in places shocking.
The violence is short and brutal but thankfully lacking the shiny gloss so many productions put upon action. Sadly, the theme of the film is what lets it down. The idea of the one’s past ingraining traits upon our character and the inescapability of one’s history have been explored in the arts before.
5th Oct 2005