FILM CHALLENGE: 56) A History Of Violence

56) A History Of Violence

Director: David Cronenberg

Year: 2005

Plot Summary: In Millowbrook, Indiana, the mild Tom Stall owns a bar and has a calm life with his beloved wife Edie, his teen-aged son Jack, and his little daughter Sarah. However, his life turns upside-down when he kills two cold-blooded killers in his bar to protect his waitress. As a result, he becomes a local hero and finds himself on the front page of the national newspapers and on every TV news channel. The next day, mobster Carl Fogarty comes to the town, calling him Joey Cusack and telling that he was a former hit man.

Somewhere under the surface lies a great film here. After all, it's got all the necessary ingredients. Firstly, it boasts a simple yet intriguing plot line that - although it doesn't require much thinking - is thoroughly enticing. Secondly, it's an interesting exploration of violence and how, in some instances, it can be an act of heroism, but there's actually a very thin line between this and immorality. Thirdly, and most importantly, there's a spellbinding performance from Viggo Mortenson who will always be my favourite thing about the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

However, A History Of Violence is visual proof of just how important scriptwriting is. Because, while there is a good movie hiding in there, it's overshadowed by cheesy, poor dialogue and obvious characters who appear to be rehashed from every crime drama that's been made in the last thirty years.

There's everything from the high school jock and baseball star who spouts off with lines such as "A little hero here, hunh? A little superstar here? The little hero saves the day at the last minute?" And, yep, to add salt to the wound, His name is Bobby. Then, there's the mob heavy with the dark suit and the Italian American accent who has the predictable lines of "Schtill crazchy fuckin' Joey". And then there's even the local sheriff who delivers the cringe-inducingly cheesy monologue of "This is a nice town with nice people, so don't let me see you around here again, you hear?"

That's not to say that, despite how predictable it is, A History Of Violence is a complete disaster. David Cronenberg's direction itself makes it worthy of a watch and there are some fantastic moments in the movie. The opening and closing scenes especially are very interesting stuff. But, overall, it's nothing that hasn't been done before and nothing that won't be repeated - and improved - in the future.

3/5

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment