Combustible Celluloid


New movie reviews, DVD reviews, interviews, and all things film.

movies

50% Off DVD Sale at BarnesandNoble.com! Shop Now.

 
Home | Archive | About | Blog | Lists | Links | E-mail me | Sign up for my weekly newsletter! |  
 



Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Safe House ***
The Vow **1/2
The Innkeepers ***1/2
The Woman in Black ***
The Grey ***
Man on a Ledge ***
Underworld Awakening **
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos ***
Haywire ***
Beauty and the Beast ****
Contraband ***
The Divide *
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ****
The Devil Inside **
The Iron Lady **
A Separation ***
Pariah ***1/2
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close ***
The Darkest Hour **
More
 



Anonymous
Essential Killing
Lady and the Tramp
La Jetée
Sans Soleil
Story of a Love Affair
3
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
2011: The Year's Best DVDs and Blu-Rays
More
 

Film Features

2011: The Year's Best Films
Year's Best DVDs and Blu-Rays
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards
Interview: Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender
Interview: Simon Curtis
Interview: Werner Herzog
Interview: John Cho
Interview: Roland Emmerich
Interview: Stephen Bishop on Moneyball
Interview: Nick Swardson
Interview: Lynn Hershman Leeson
Interview: Lone Scherfig
Interview: Jesse Eisenberg & Aziz Ansari
Interview: Wayne Wang
Interview: Andre Ovredal on 'Trollhunter'
Interview: Ewan McGregor & Mike Mills
Interview: Kelly Reichardt (Examiner link)
The 54th San Francisco International Film Festival - 2011 Coverage
Interview: Emma Roberts
Rainn Wilson & James Gunn (Examiner link)
Interview: Tom McCarthy
Interview: Abigail Breslin (Examiner link)
2010: The Year's Best Films
2010: The Year's Best DVDs & Blu-Rays
Interview: Sofia Coppola
Interview: George A. Romero
The Decade's Ten Best Films: 2000-2009
My Top 100 Films [Updated]
My Top 60 Directors [Updated]
Christmas Movies
Essential Halloween & Horror Movies
Cult Movies
Actress Interview Gallery
More Features and Interviews
 

Film Books

Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, by Alonso Duralde
Not Quite a Memoir: Of Films, Books, the World, by Judy Stone
James Agee: The Library of America Collection, by James Agee
Just Making Movies, by Ronald L. Davis
More Books
 



Home
Reviews A-C
Reviews D-F
Reviews G-J
Reviews K-M
Reviews N-Q
Reviews R-T
Reviews U-Z
 

The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

 
SEARCH MOVIES / CELEB

Advanced Search

 
 
© 1997-2012 Combustible Celluloid



A History of Violence (2005)

Rating: 4 Stars (out of 4)

Violence Begets Violence

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy A History of Violence on DVD

With his new film, A History of Violence, David Cronenberg has joked that he is "selling out." In other words, he has taken a pre-existing job as a director-for-hire. Not that anyone could ever tell the difference; A History of Violence reveals itself as yet another masterpiece from this master director.

As Cronenberg matures as a filmmaker, it becomes more and more difficult to "fit" his films in with the preconceived outline of him. Most of his films up to now have dealt with issues of the body and the idea of introducing foreign elements to it. He is often considered a "horror" director, and indeed some of his early films rank among the best the genre has ever conceived. But with Spider and now A History of Violence, a new tack is in order.

Based on a graphic novel by writer John Wagner and artist Vince Locke, the new film stars Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall, a small town man who runs the local diner. He's married to the lovely Edie (Maria Bello) and they have two teenage kids, Jack (Ashton Holmes) and Sarah (Heidi Hayes). Tom and Edie are a couple for which life has happened pretty fast, but they've taken it in stride and struggle to make the best of everything. In one amazingly tender scene, they try to re-capture a bit of their early romance when Edie seduces her husband by donning a cheerleader outfit.

Of course, we know that this bliss can't last. Long before we meet the Stalls, Cronenberg begins his film with a stunning, sustained tracking shot that introduces us to a couple of seedy lowlifes, seemingly on a weary road trip in a convertible. As they go through the motions of checking out of a little motel, we learn that they have very casually slaughtered the entire staff. Like any great filmmaker should, Cronenberg keeps the shot going until it needs to end, with a shocking, horrifying cut.

When these killers arrive at Tom's diner and begin threatening the locals, Tom reacts with surprising, swift violence. Many directors have attempted scenes much like this, with the beats landing exactly where you might expect them to, and with shaky camerawork to emphasize the chaos and confusion of the moment. Cronenberg tackles the scene as if for the first time, inventing new beats, and allowing moments to linger or jump up unexpectedly.

Tom becomes a local hero, but attracts the attention of more, even tougher-looking guys, notably the creepy Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris), who wears dark sunglasses to cover his disturbingly damaged eye. Thus the plot unfolds, and it becomes clear that Tom isn't who he seems; he has a whole past that has successfully been covered up and forgotten until now. One more note along these lines: William Hurt turns up late in the film as Tom's brother, he gives one of his finest, most delightful scenery-chewing turns.

Cronenberg ramps up the tension one more notch by giving Tom's son Jack a bully at school. Jack attracts the bully's attention by catching a potential home run ball during gym class. With this and with every other tense sequence in the film, the director bangs out a totally unique rhythm causing us to become immersed in the violence, and to be aware of it.

In a stroke of genius, Cronenberg clearly and shockingly underlines the "violence-begets-violence" theme by including a second love scene, far less tender than the first (to say the least).

Nearly anyone could make a film about violence, but A History of Violence becomes Cronenbergian, at the moment Tom's brother asks, "When you dream, are you still Joey?" -- referring to Tom's past life. The film suggests that, though we are flesh and blood, that very same flesh and blood can conceal any number of actions, identities, histories or beliefs. Even when making love to a longtime partner, the flesh need not necessarily reveal its hidden nature.

The trick that Cronenberg really pulls off here -- and has been successfully pulling off the whole time -- is that he makes this stuff move with a breath of life. His art is disguised within genre conventions, but they're singularly interesting genre conventions. He fools you into thinking you've seen something exciting or thrilling, but he really got you to think about something more.

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Ashton Holmes, Heidi Hayes, Stephen McHattie, Greg Bryk, Peter MacNeill
Written by: Josh Olson, based on the graphic novel by John Wagner, Vince Locke
Directed by: David Cronenberg
MPAA Rating: R for strong brutal violence, graphic sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use
Running Time: 96 minutes
Date: September 23, 2005

Home
New Movies
New DVDs & Blu-Ray
Features
News
Search Reviews
Classic Movies
Film Books
Gallery
Links
About
Contact
All scribblings © 1997-2012 Combustible Celluloid