History of Violence, A (2005)

David Cronenberg is known for directing complex and exquisite films such as eXistenZ and The Fly remake with Jeff Goldblum. Now he returns with a thriller much different than that which he is used to doing with A History of Violence.

In a small town somewhere in Indiana, there is a man named Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) who runs a town café, no simpler or more informal than a decent Denny’s restaurant.  His family consists of his very attractive wife (Maria Bello) who works as a lawyer, his teenage son Jack (Ashton Holmes) who is a walking target for bullies, and a young daughter named Sarah (Heidi Hayes). They are just an average American family with hardly any problems until one day in Tom’s diner, two men attempt to rob the establishment with guns and unnecessary force to the opposite sex. Before the triggers are pulled, Tom saves the day by taking out the two men. The same night, he ends up on the front page of every local newspaper and even national news.

His name is out, and a reporter or two comes up to interview him. No biggie. Then one day a few more dangerous looking men came into his diner and harass him and his wife. Apparently they know him by another name; no matter how many times Tom tells them he is not the man they are looking for, they keep on showing up. These guys won't leave Tom's family, following his wife to the mall and whatnot. These men are up to no good, putting everyone in a panic

There are many themes and moods that are caught within this movie. Tom's home seems such a harmless little town, where everyone gets along with one another.  The film starts on a violent note, however, as we are introduced to the men who will attempt to rob Tom's café as they slaughter the staff of a small motel and even a little girl who witnesses the dark deeds. Then you have a cocky, pompous high school jock that picks on of the weakest link of the group, which is apparently Tom’s teenage son. Name calling and physical violence seems to uphold the ego of this popular school athlete, but Jack's response is not running away or fighting; but simply confusing the bully to the point where the bully himself feels the laughing stock.

This so seemingly simple town family of the Stalls seems perfectly fine until that other brand of dangerous men, led by Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris), came into town. Then Tom becomes mentally troubled. Who is Tom really? Is he really Joey Cusack as Fogarty and his men claim? What does he do when these men arrive again? What should his wife and kids know?

Viggo Mortensen strongly plays this not complicated role. I’m not talking about his physical agility and near to perfect choreography of his stunts. I’m talking about the mental state of his character. This movie is essentially about the state of mind of Tom Stall. The plot seems trivial to this central conflict.

The beautiful Maria Bello is simply charming as a confused and loving wife trying to figure out the answers to everything that has been thrown at her suddenly. Is this person that Fogarty is talking about really also the man she fell in love with? How the heck did her husband learn those brutal self-defense techniques, much less know how to fire a gun so well and break a man's arm in a dozen different places? Supporting her character is the son Jack played by Ashton Holmes, who is just as bewildered but has more demons to combat than just the question of how he should react to his father. Jack comes to find he has the same violent instincts as his father and he must face an even more complex inner struggle than his mother. 

This is very much a David Cronenberg film.  A History of Violence is jammed packed with as much ruthless violence and odd sexuality as you can imagine.  Examples? Oh….a guy has half of his face blown off, and just about every bone of a man’s arm is broken with only a few quick moves.  And of course there are the two very awkward (one of them violent itself) sex scenes between Mortensen and Bello.

You have almost no idea what will happen next in the film. Fogarty is following Tom’s wife and kid. Are they going to go into that mall and shoot everyone up, or are they just stalking them for the time being? Who else is going to show up as some baddie?  When a mob car drives slowly past Tom in his diner and speeds away down the street and Tom runs all the way home in fear for his family, what will he find there? 

There isn't that much action in the plot, but there moments that are crucial that are delivered exceptionally. Some scenes that are normally joked around with are taken seriously and passionately. The rough sex scenes could have been justified as fake, but here, however, it is intimately precise. It is a tense movie that will have you chomping at the bit to see what will happen next.

Final

A History of Violence is indeed a marvel of film. So many subgenres are thrown in to make this a masterful piece of art. Strong performances are complimented with strong directing, making this one of the best films of the year.