A History of Violence [DVD] [2005]

I'm a big fan of David Cronenbergs films, and this is another good one. You are put into a small town setting with the family man of all family men. Eventually he stops a robbery of his family owned diner, and becomes a local hero. Then more people start showing up that are trying to hurt his family, and especially him. You have to make the decision between if this is his past catching up to him, or a case of mistaken identity. A History of Violence has a great plot twist, and you are not sure of what you think, until the very scene that lets you know you were right, or wrong the entire time. It also plays on the idea of not knowing a person as well as you think you know them. Without ruining two much, A History of Violence was a great movie and a must watch. It is very gory, and contains nudity, but still delivers a great movie with great acting.

This is another great film from Cronenberg who portrays the two sides of the human mind, through a man with a past shrouded in mystery. He shows his caring, fatherly side, but it has a twist. Cronenberg shows that looks can be decieving, and Mortensen does a great job with his character. He decieves us into believing he wouldn't hurt a fly, but as the movie progresses we see his true nature. Cronenberg shows us the bad side of people, and A History Violence is a well thought out film with disturbing, but great scenes that contribute to the films theme. He shows us the violent side of man, that arises from within when we feel threatened and specifically with out paternal instincts. Do not miss out on this great film.

This movie is NOT a remake of "A Long Kiss Goodnight". It is based on a novel of the same name. This movie asks whether we can forget our past and rebuild our lives. What the definition of family is. If there is such a thing as "good" violence. How we define ourselves. This movie is dark, very dark. The film is intentionally gory. There is nudity. The acting is superb. David Cronenberg's direction is excellent. This movie is not for everybody, given the reasons above. Please consider the viewing audience before watching. This is not a family movie and any view with children is probably not a good idea. It is an excellent film with real questions.

Hollywood must be having problems with making original movies because with these sequels, and remakes are getting ridiculous. This movie was done before, as a comedy, you remember Gena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson in The Long Kiss Goodnight. Yes this movie is more dramatic with alot killing, but it has the same plot as Long Kiss just with a male twist.

Saw this in theaters and thought it was great, definitely unappreciated for what it is. If you know the director's work you will appreciate this film and know not to expect a blockbuster with tons of special effects. Great acting from everyone and good story. Love the opening single shot of the film especially.

David Cronenberg does it again. He has a knack of making movies with great twist. Must own. The BD presentation is subpar but the movie quality makes up for it.

This movie was an interesting turn for director David Cronenberg. The performances are amazing, but the story does become very predictable in a bad way. Overall, it's still suspenseful enough to savor the moments of brilliant acting.

Great crime movie for your collection if your a fan of the genre. Good movie with a few twists to keep you watching although not a cult classic or work of cinematic art definitely worth a buy.