Movie review: ‘A History of Violence’

FloridaGator80
A promotional still photograph from the movie “A History of Violence.”

I’m glad that David Cronenberg’s “A History of Violence” was nominated for two Oscars (William Hurt for best supporting actor and writing), but its nominations for Golden Globes much better reflects the quality of the film (best picture and Maria Bello for best actress). It is powerful throughout and the cast is simply outstanding, including those supporting actors who you don’t recognize (but instantly recognize excellent work). When re-watching “A History of Violence,” I had forgotten about Hurt and his brief but simply outstanding turn here. If you haven’t seen “A History of Violence,” make sure you do. If you have seen it, make sure you do again.

‘A History of Violence’
(2005; 96 minutes; rated R; directed by David Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt)

YOU DON’T WANT TO MEET ‘JOEY’

(NOTE: I expanded this review with additional opinion and trivia and the updating of links on Dec. 1, 2019. I again expanded the review on April 25, 2026.)

I’ve written about how the cult sci-fi classic “Scanners” (click here to read my review), while a solid film, didn’t really prove greatness for director/writer David Cronenberg. However, when I re-watched “A History of Violence,” it helped by opinion to evolve: I still don’t believe Conenberg among “the greatest ever,” but I will say that he’s as strong in this film as any other director on any other single film.

“A History of Violence” is a powerful statement by Cronenberg and it is simply a perfect start-to-finish film and has outstanding work from actor’s actors from Viggo Mortensen to Maria Bello to Ed Harris to William Hurt. It isn’t an easy movie to watch – and I don’t just mean the violence and gore, but also the dark drama that is the soul of it. “A History of Violence” is truly outstanding cinema that is layered with emotion and memorable characters.

A promotional still photograph from the movie “A History of Violence.”

Three actors knock it out of the park with “A History of Violence.” Hurt, who, in a tiny role of less than 10 minutes on screen, earned an Oscar nomination as the mob boss; Harris as the deformed killer; and Bello, who is small-town wife “Edie Stall” unlike most housewives you’ll ever see. In the lead role, Mortensen is solid but if there’s any criticism here, it would be why he was cast as “Tom Stall/Joey Cusack.”

In “A History of Violence,” the story opens with parallel stories of a couple of killers on a cross-country trip and Mortensen in small-town life as diner owner “Tom Stall.” Of course, they converge at the diner and in an explosion of violence Mortensen kills the two criminals in a grisly manner with a gun after liberating a gun from one of the bad guys. He receives a lot of attention and is on numerous television reports with stories about his heroism – but it’s double-edged PR because someone from his past sees him.

A promotional still photograph from the movie “A History of Violence.”

Mortensen’s family includes a wife and two children, one a high-school age boy. They’re pretty much small-town American pure (she even dresses up in a cheerleader outfit in one of two erotic scenes to give him that thrill since they met after high school), but the relationship begins to show some fraying at the seams. Ultimately due to the spreading violence in the robbery’s aftermath, it unravels completely.

Enter Harris, who obviously knows Mortensen’s secret past and pursues him to the diner and even Bello and the daughter to a mall. Harris, who plays “Carl Fogarty,” just oozes evil in his every syllable and inflection from each motion. Cronenberg has Harris with a milky white eye here (from an injury inflicted by Mortensen, who tried to blind him with barbed wire years ago) and it is a truly unsettling component of the character that is used to perfection by Harris.

The confrontation between Mortensen and Harris comes in front of the family home where Mortensen dispatches two of Harris’ accomplices before being shot by Harris, who’s then killed when Mortensen’s son picks up a shotgun and takes home defense into a double-barreled embrace.

Again, the issue of Mortensen’s past comes up as well as angry sex between him and Bello on a staircase. At school, the boy, who has been even-tempered in the face of a taunting bully, comes out of his non-violent shell by beating hell out of his tormentors. With this latest violence, the family continues its fragmentation.

Finally, Mortensen goes back to Philadelphia to confront his brother (Hurt) and winds up killing even more in the final outburst of violence in the film. Mortensen goes home and he’s accepted back by his family. Cue the credits.

Cronenberg is masterful in building the story and getting the most out of his actors. In another director’s hands this one wouldn’t have played out as well. He especially manages to use two sexy scenes between Mortensen and Bello not in a conventional way, but makes them come off somewhat skewed (that is, not what you’d expect but effective in each’s context).

Especially good here is how Cronenberg handles changes in the characters. The key to the whole film is the difference between Mortensen’s two persona (completely different people), but also effective is Bello’s evolution as her family disintegrates then is back together at the end. The son coming of age with his father’s affinity and obvious knack for violence is also especially effective.

Here’s a rundown of some of the primary cast:

  • A promotional still photograph from the movie “A History of Violence.”

    As I’ve written, I’m not sure three-time Oscar nominee and four-time Golden Globe nominee Mortensen (not for this one) is the right choice for this film, but I can’t name anyone who I believe might be a better fit. He does criminal “Joey” very, very well but is a somewhat somnambulant “Tom Stall.” When his personality is taken over by “Joey,” like Harris here, he just oozes menace and Mortensen is especially effective in the physical change that is mostly emotional. That’s a tough thing to convey on screen. Mortensen was almost as good with Sandra Bullock in “28 Days” and was in “The Lord of the Rings” franchise. He was nominated for “Eastern Promises,” “Captain Fantastic” and “The Green Book.” Mortensen was nominated for Globes for all three and his fourth Globe nomination was for “A Dangerous Method.”

  • A promotional still photograph from the movie “A History of Violence.”

    A two-time Golden Globe nominee (one for this flick), Bello, without a doubt, is one of the most underrated and underappreciated actors in Hollywood. She embraces quirky roles (say as in the cold, dark drama “The Cooler” in which she got her other nomination or in “Thank You for Smoking” – click here to read my review) and commands your attention whenever she’s on screen in “A History of Violence.” Bello isn’t a classic beauty, but she can convey sexuality with a simple glance, much less dressed as a cheerleader as she does in one scene in this one. Bello has also been in the very creepy “Auto Focus.”

  • A promotional still photograph from the movie “A History of Violence.”

    “A History of Violence” Is another example of why it is almost impossible for four-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner and four-time Golden Globe nominee Harris to give a bad performance. He slithers this bad-guy role in a complete opposite to some of his characters, such as the somewhat milquetoast widower in “Milk Money.” He is tremendously effective in this one as a cruel, calculating killer just any moment away from violence. “A History of Violence” doesn’t instantly come to mind when you think about a resume for Harris, but it should be right at the top. I also like his work in “Enemy at the Gates” (click here to read my review) and the two great space films “Apollo 13” and “The Right Stuff” (click here to read my review). His Oscar nominations were for “Apollo 13” (also Globe nomination), “The Truman Show” (a Globe win), “Pollock” and “The Hours” (another Globe nomination). He won his other Globe for the tee-vee movie “Game Change” and was nominated for “Jacknife” and the tee-vee miniseries “Empire Falls.”

  • A promotional still photograph from the movie “A History of Violence.”

    You wouldn’t believe that Hurt, an Oscar winner and three-time nominee as well as six-time Golden Globe nominee, would be able to do a great gangster since he most often plays mellow, doughboy physical types. However, he’s exceptional as “Richie Cusack” (and has the Oscar nomination here to show for it) in the short time he’s on screen. Unlike Harris and Mortensen, Hurt is more an outgoing psychotic and evolves his character with panache and aplomb in the so-few minutes you have the privilege to watch him work. Hurt’s other Oscar nominations were for his exceptional work alongside Holly Hunter in “Broadcast News” (also a Globe nomination) and “Children of a Lesser God” (also a Globe nomination). His Oscar win was for “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (also a Globe nomination). Hurt’s other Globe nominations were for “Altered States,” the tee-vee series “Damages” and the tee-vee movie “Too Big to Fall.” He died at 71 of prostate cancer a week before his 72nd birthday in March 2022.

The supporting cast does an excellent job but I don’t have the time here to single them all out. Let me just say there isn’t a weak link here.

It’s simply unbelievable, but “A History of Violence” brought in fewer dollars in 2005 than Sandra Bullock’s cheesy sequel, “Miss Congeniality: Armed and Fabulous.” “A History of Violence” was the 90th ranked film with $31.5 million, according to Box Office Mojo, while the Sandra stinker was 59th with $48.4 million. Overall, “A History of Violence” made $60.7 million on its budget of $32 million, according to Wiki. The No. 1 film was “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” with $380.2 million. Other films from 2005 that I’ve reviewed include:

Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):

  • Mortensen’s full birth name is Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr.; Hurt’s middle name was McChord; and Bello’s middle name is Elaina.
  • Internet sources say that “A History of Violence” was the last major Hollywood film to be released on VHS (Video Home System tape).
  • Directly from IMDb.com: “According to Bart Beatty, in his book ‘David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence,’ Cronenberg did not know that this movie was based on a paradox Press/Vertigo Comics graphic novel until after he signed on to direct. Cronenberg has stated that he does not care for superhero comics/films, feeling they are all adolescent at their core, no matter how dark, edgy or intelligent critics and fans alike feel they are.”
  • Hurt received the Oscar nomination and he was on screen fewer than 10 minutes and his scenes were shot in just five days. The record for least screen time by an Oscar winner is Beatrice Straight at 5 minutes/2 seconds in 1976’s “Network.” The record for least screen time for an Oscar nomination is Hermione Baddeley at 2 minutes/19 seconds for 1958’s “Room at the Top.”
  • The diner scenes were shot on a sound stage.
  • Cronenberg feared that Bello and Mortensen could injure themselves during film of the sex scene on the staircase and asked the stunt coordinator if he had some pads that could protect them. The coordinator reportedly laughed and said he’d never been asked for protection for the actors in a sex scene.
  • Despite playing Holmes’ mother, Bello is only 11 years older than him.
  • Interesting casting question: Would Harrison Ford have done better? An interesting debate – but the role went to Mortensen when Ford turned it down.
  • Finally and directly from IMDb.com: “The fictitious town that the film is set in (Millbrook, Indiana) is named after the town where the film was actually shot (Millbrook, Ontario, Canada). The scenes set in Philadelphia were actually shot in Toronto, Canada.”

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