A History of Violence: Grade B

B

A History of Violence

Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt. Director = David Cronenberg

Ex mobster has gone to ground, made a new life in a small town with a family, when, sure enough, his past returns to haunt him. A fine acting job. Ed Harris is deliciously creepy as the mobster who tries to bring him “back to Philly.” Hurt is unconvincing as the mob-boss brother. Maria Bello, a wife with a great jawbone, plays her part extremely well. The movie has lots of blood and a high body count, as you would expect from Cronenberg. The plot is reminiscent of The Long Kiss Goodbye, with Geena Davis as an amnesic ex-assassin. This story is not as tight however. The opening scene showing murderous bad guys is totally gratuitous, as are the two prurient sex scenes. The bully at school theme was stereotyped and flat. The ending is dubious. The sets were terrible throughout – way too fussy, detailed, clean and shiny, they did not look lived in or convincing. The camera work was inexplicably vertiginous, especially in the beginning, although it seemed to settle down later. The strong acting carries the movie over these rough spots.