It is my firm belief that everybody needs a little Cronenberg in their life. And a good starting place would be 2005's A History Of Violence. It is quite a bit more tame than some of his past body of work (Shivers, Rabid, Scanners), and quite a bit more understandable than others (Naked Lunch, The Brood, Crash). Viggo Mortensen, stars as Tom Stall, husband, father, friend, neighbor, and owner of a small town diner. He enjoys a simple life with his wife Edie (Maria Bello) and his son Jack and daughter Sarah. That is, until one night his diner gets held up and he quickly and easily dispatches the thieves with the use of a shotgun. The small town hails Tom a hero. Things get back to normal, but not for long, as Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) and a couple of his associates come to town looking for Tom. Carl informs Tom that he knows of his past, and that he needs to come back to Philadelphia to meet with his own brother, notorious Irish gangster, Richie Cusack. Tom denies everything, but Carl doesn't believe him and starts to stalk his family. It is then that Tom has to decide to either admit his "history," or fight them to defend his family. A History Of Violence is a dark, philosophical thriller at its best. It is slow moving, allowing all the characters to dig themselves into your brain. You start to care for and feel for them, hoping all turns out well, yet not actually knowing if it will. You're never really sure what to believe, or what will happen next. Viggo Mortensen does a fantastic job as the introverted Tom. He never likes to talk about himself and never refers to himself as a hero. He loves his family and always tries to be nice to everybody in town. Maria Bello is as stunning and sexy as she is strong, as Tom's wife, Edie. She's always there for her husband and stands behind him, even when she's not sure. The always great, always entertaining Ed Harris plays the scarred villain, Carl Fogarty. His portrayal of Carl reminds me of Murder Legendre, the character Bela Lugosi played in the 1932 film, White Zombie. He's cunning and smart, he'd rather outwit you to get what he wants, than physically harm you. After seeing him here, I will forever be a fan. He has the ability to make any character he plays incredibly believable. Its no wonder he's been nominated for 4 Academy Awards, and at the same time, a crying shame he's never won. I hope that will change in the future though. Besides the all-star cast, that also includes a surprise Academy Award nominated performance by the great William Hurt, the amazing story was really what kept my attention. The screenplay was also nominated for an Academy Award that year too. It was adapted for the screen by Josh Olsen, and was based on the 1997 graphic novel written by John Wagner and Vince Locke and released by Paradox Press, an imprint of DC Comics. Of course, beyond all that, just the fact that David Cronenberg took the time to direct this modern day masterpiece was reason enough for me to check it out. It was, shortly after seeing this, that I realized he was and still is a master of cinema. He's proved that he can do almost anything in the world of movies. From body-horror to mystery to grindhouse to sexploitation to mosters to thrillers to art-house to sci-fi. I personally hope he continues to do all of the above. But until then, I'll always be able to sit back and enjoy one of his classic films, including this one. Check it out, I promise it will not disappoint!
Stay tuned for #7 on my List and some other ramblings, lists and thoughts!
Shawn M
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