A History of Violence
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE REVIEW:
You know, it's been a long time since I've seen a movie that wasn't so much about plot or action as it was about IDEAS. And I don't mean narrow ideas like character studies, but big, epic, philisophical ideas. This is a movie about a man and his story, sure, but more than most movies, this is a film that works on a number of levels, telling a personal story that has huge, almost cosmic metaphorical meaning. Like the title suggests, this is a somewhat violent movie, but it's also ABOUT violence, about the nature of violence - how is it instigated? How is it propagated? How is it both glorified and condemned - considered a necessary evil but also a tool of righteousness? On one level, this movie is about Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall - a Rockwellian family man who kills two criminals to defend his small-town diner, and then becomes a reluctant hero, and then a target for some angry mobsters seeking revenge. But in the course of this absorbing movie, directed with an air of detached surreality by David Cronenberg, the questions begin to mount, and they begin to lead to a number of startling revelations about who Tom Stall really is, and how a seemingly ordinary man was capable of such efficient displays of violence. But Tom Stall's story soon becomes something more - a parable about the nature of violence. It's a story about survival of the fittest, and about how civilized societies do so many uncivil things in the name of justice. And it's a story about America - about how under a facade of innocence and moral purity lies an inherent predilication for violence and an unhealthy obsession with the idea that might makes right. Yep, this movie gives you something to think about.
What makes it all work though are the phenomenal performances from the actors. Viggo Mortenson is superb - his transformation from everyman to violent antihero is subtle but shocking at the same time. And Viggo's amazing performance is only augmented by the brilliant way i nwhich Cronenberg lays out the story. Like a good book, or like the graphic novel which this is based on, we see scenes from the first half of the movie parallelled later on with contrasting scenes, creating startling juxtapostions. For example, there is an almost uncomfortably realistic sex scene at the beginnning of the movie - later on, a similarly uncomfortable scene occurs, but this one completely different from the first - showing Tom Stall's transformation from a loving husband and father into an animalistic, almost primitive aggressor. It's almost a little hard to watch at times, but there's some pretty profound stuff going on. But don't get me wrong, this may be a pretty deep movie but it doesn't skimp on the ass-kicking, which often comes in the form of Ed Harris, who is creepily cool here as a scarred mobster with a mysterious vendetta against Tom. Harris, as usual, is great, and owns the screen whenever he appears. And then there's William Hurt, an underrated actor who is one of my favorites from his roles in movies like Body Heat and Dark City. In a very short amount of screen time, Hurt absolutely rules it, acting his ass off and almost stealing the entire movie. I won't give away who he plays, but let's just say that business really starts to pick up once he enters the picture. In addition, the rest of the supporting cast is great. Maria Bello is great as the wife of Tom Stall. She takes the part and really makes the most of it, and becomes a lot more than just the typical suffering / angsty wife-to-the-hero character. She pours her heart into this role and leaves an impression. Honestly, I think that Viggo, Ed Harris, William Hurt, and Maria Bello could and maybe should all be nominated for Oscars for this movie - that's how good they are here. Special note must also go to the young actor who plays Stall's teenage son, as he gets in some really good scenes, ones which play a crucial part in developing one of the movie's key themes - namely - like father, like son?
I think it's been so long since this type of movie has been released to the mainstream that it kinda sucks that people don't seem to know what to make of it. It's like, what if David Lynch released Blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive today, in this age where every theater seems to be overrun with loud, obnoxious moviegoers? Like Blue Velvet, this is an unsettling, slightly surreal movie that does have a lot of black humor. But it's also too bad that people will see this in crowded theaters and hear people laughing at serious moments as a defense mechanism for coping with some unsettling or shocking scenes. Oh well, I'd still urge you to go see this in the theater, because it's a really, really great movie - one of the best of the year and one of the best and most thought-provoking movies to come out in a long while. Plus, it's pretty kickass to boot. My grade: A
You know, it's been a long time since I've seen a movie that wasn't so much about plot or action as it was about IDEAS. And I don't mean narrow ideas like character studies, but big, epic, philisophical ideas. This is a movie about a man and his story, sure, but more than most movies, this is a film that works on a number of levels, telling a personal story that has huge, almost cosmic metaphorical meaning. Like the title suggests, this is a somewhat violent movie, but it's also ABOUT violence, about the nature of violence - how is it instigated? How is it propagated? How is it both glorified and condemned - considered a necessary evil but also a tool of righteousness? On one level, this movie is about Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall - a Rockwellian family man who kills two criminals to defend his small-town diner, and then becomes a reluctant hero, and then a target for some angry mobsters seeking revenge. But in the course of this absorbing movie, directed with an air of detached surreality by David Cronenberg, the questions begin to mount, and they begin to lead to a number of startling revelations about who Tom Stall really is, and how a seemingly ordinary man was capable of such efficient displays of violence. But Tom Stall's story soon becomes something more - a parable about the nature of violence. It's a story about survival of the fittest, and about how civilized societies do so many uncivil things in the name of justice. And it's a story about America - about how under a facade of innocence and moral purity lies an inherent predilication for violence and an unhealthy obsession with the idea that might makes right. Yep, this movie gives you something to think about.
What makes it all work though are the phenomenal performances from the actors. Viggo Mortenson is superb - his transformation from everyman to violent antihero is subtle but shocking at the same time. And Viggo's amazing performance is only augmented by the brilliant way i nwhich Cronenberg lays out the story. Like a good book, or like the graphic novel which this is based on, we see scenes from the first half of the movie parallelled later on with contrasting scenes, creating startling juxtapostions. For example, there is an almost uncomfortably realistic sex scene at the beginnning of the movie - later on, a similarly uncomfortable scene occurs, but this one completely different from the first - showing Tom Stall's transformation from a loving husband and father into an animalistic, almost primitive aggressor. It's almost a little hard to watch at times, but there's some pretty profound stuff going on. But don't get me wrong, this may be a pretty deep movie but it doesn't skimp on the ass-kicking, which often comes in the form of Ed Harris, who is creepily cool here as a scarred mobster with a mysterious vendetta against Tom. Harris, as usual, is great, and owns the screen whenever he appears. And then there's William Hurt, an underrated actor who is one of my favorites from his roles in movies like Body Heat and Dark City. In a very short amount of screen time, Hurt absolutely rules it, acting his ass off and almost stealing the entire movie. I won't give away who he plays, but let's just say that business really starts to pick up once he enters the picture. In addition, the rest of the supporting cast is great. Maria Bello is great as the wife of Tom Stall. She takes the part and really makes the most of it, and becomes a lot more than just the typical suffering / angsty wife-to-the-hero character. She pours her heart into this role and leaves an impression. Honestly, I think that Viggo, Ed Harris, William Hurt, and Maria Bello could and maybe should all be nominated for Oscars for this movie - that's how good they are here. Special note must also go to the young actor who plays Stall's teenage son, as he gets in some really good scenes, ones which play a crucial part in developing one of the movie's key themes - namely - like father, like son?
I think it's been so long since this type of movie has been released to the mainstream that it kinda sucks that people don't seem to know what to make of it. It's like, what if David Lynch released Blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive today, in this age where every theater seems to be overrun with loud, obnoxious moviegoers? Like Blue Velvet, this is an unsettling, slightly surreal movie that does have a lot of black humor. But it's also too bad that people will see this in crowded theaters and hear people laughing at serious moments as a defense mechanism for coping with some unsettling or shocking scenes. Oh well, I'd still urge you to go see this in the theater, because it's a really, really great movie - one of the best of the year and one of the best and most thought-provoking movies to come out in a long while. Plus, it's pretty kickass to boot. My grade: A
posted by Danny B at 9:57 PM
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