X
- 2005
- R
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 36 m
- 2005
- R
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 36 m
Summary Tom Stall is living a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife and their two children in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana, until one night their idyllic existence is shattered when Tom foils a vicious attempted robbery in his diner. (New Line Cinema)
Directed By: David Cronenberg
Written By: John Wagner, Vince Locke, Josh Olson
- 2005
- R
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 36 m
- 2005
- R
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 36 m
A History of Violence
7.5
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Summary Tom Stall is living a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife and their two children in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana, until one night their idyllic existence is shattered when Tom foils a vicious attempted robbery in his diner. (New Line Cinema)
Directed By: David Cronenberg
Written By: John Wagner, Vince Locke, Josh Olson
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 37 Critic Reviews
82
89% Positive
33 Reviews
33 Reviews
11% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 37 Critic Reviews
82
89% Positive
33 Reviews
33 Reviews
11% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
This is definitely not your typical Cronenberg. No matter if you either love his cinematic oddities, or if you’re put off by them, watching A History of Violence would prove beneficial. It’s no doubt one of the best films of the year.
By Michael Ferraro FULL REVIEW
Other films this year will have to sweat bullets to match the explosive power and subversive wit of David Cronenberg's A History of Violence. It slams you like a body punch and then starts messing with your head.
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 280 User Ratings
7.5
78% Positive
217 Ratings
217 Ratings
17% Mixed
48 Ratings
48 Ratings
5% Negative
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 280 User Ratings
7.5
78% Positive
217 Ratings
217 Ratings
17% Mixed
48 Ratings
48 Ratings
5% Negative
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
Sep 26, 2021
One of the few examples where the violence in a film is justified because it is its vital element. The hallmark that distinguishes Cronenberg - that of causing a commotion - is present and with Viggo Mortensen, who in his hands is like fresh clay to mold to his liking. As a complement: the entrance sequence is to make the Devil's hair stand on end.
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A History of Violence poses the right question: Are those who don't study history doomed to repeat it?
Cronenberg's movie is eerily compelling and darkly humorous. And chilling - to the bone.
If this all sounds very heavy, well, it is, but it's also very, very funny. Cronenberg may want to say something important about violence, but he's also head over heels for it, ending each gunfight and neck-breaking with a close-up on the victim, blood either pooling behind his head or brains spilling from his face. Big laughs.
This peculiarly predictable picture has been calculated, or miscalculated, to set up certain expectations, fulfill them, and then do the same thing again, thereby giving us a chance to see what's coming and, at least in theory, be shocked when it actually comes.
Nov 8, 2012
It is very rare that a film is so compelling that it keeps my eyes absolutely glued to the screen from its opening sequence to its final frame. Surely, A History of Violence is one of the great films of the decade.
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Nov 9, 2016
The run time is rather short and doesn't offer much dialogue nor real plot progression. We see it visually advance in the plot but we don't really experience it. I think it could have been a much deeper film if that add a bit of dialogue and really explored the characters, Who could have been very compelling. I mean this is a family who is finding out that their father/husband isn't who he says he is and it **** the mold of the perfect small town family that they built through out their lives. I also think it wastes a very talented cast and doesn't really make much use of it them as well. Harris is always fun to watch and I loved Mortensen as the lead. Maria Bello is solid as well. Yet again they don't really make sure of them. All in all it's not a terrible movie but there's a lot of wasted potential.
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Jun 16, 2017
After reading all of the good reviews for this movie, I can not believe that I watched the same movie as all of these other people writing good reviews. The movie was just flat-out boring. There were maybe 3 events that happened in the entire movie, and the rest was just filler in order to make it a normal length for a film. It didn't help that the acting was terrible, which if had been good would've made the movie a little more bearable. In the beginning, I was willing to give the movie a chance, after reading the summary it seemed like it would be an alright movie. As I kept watching I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, and the only interesting parts of the movie were the fights and the killing. If you're thinking about watching this movie I have one message for you: Don't waste your time.
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Sep 29, 2015
The Scores for this film truly bewilder me as this is possible one of the worst films I’ve seen in a while: and I love Viggo Mortensen! The film has a simple premise but doesn’t seem to really build up to anything from it. Viggo’s character saves a community from criminals in a violent fashion and gets called a hero, but also attracts the Mob’s attention who think they know him. The premise never fully goes anywhere and the direction is all over the place, as in one scene where Cronenberg uses a panning shot that descends onto a boy at a baseball game. WHY USE THAT THERE? There are also far too many cuts in some scenes for instance, when Viggo returns home and it has a shot of everyone in his family in turn over and over and it was just too painful. Then there is the “acting”. Viggo does an alright job of speaking quietly and then bursting into violence but nothing really is noteworthy about it. Maria Bello is awful in her role and is difficult to watch and the young teenager goes from doing an alright job to becoming worse as the film goes on. Then the 2 villains in the film hardly get enough screen time to really develop or become interested in or even really enjoy watching. Then there are plenty of scenes that are just kind of unnecessary, one scene in particular being a perceived **** scene (which would’ve added controversy yes but really shown more about Viggo’s character) and turns it into a consensual and erotic staircase sex scene that just comes out of the blue and seems completely absurd. The directing of it is pretty shabby also, at one point cutting to a shot or the bottom of the stair case where you can see on leg moving slightly. Hmmm, such a vital shot. Straight after this they then also add in some unneeded nudity just to hopefully gain viewers interest for a few seconds again. I really, really, really struggled to even attempt to enjoy this movie. The violent scenes are pretty unexpected and gruesome but they can’t give this film a better rating when the majority of the rest of the film is a trainwreck. Please try miss this for your own sake and money. 2.5/10
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Production Company
- New Line Cinema
- BenderSpink
- Media I! Filmproduktion München & Company
Release Date Sep 23, 2005
Duration 1 h 36 m
Rating R
Tagline Everyone has something to hide.
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 2 Nominations
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Online Film & Television Association
• 1 Win & 9 Nominations
