This is no “High Noon” with genuine scruples about the use of violence and its effectiveness in solving problems. Cronenberg in his earlier movies has explored the nexus between personality shifts and violence: “Spider” (2003), “Dead Ringers” (1988) and “Dead Zone” (1983).
In this film, violence is tapped in a variety of ways. The “history” belongs to Tom Stall (acted by our “Lord of the Rings” hero Viggo Mortensen), but after three years in the desert, he has kept it secret for perhaps another 20. History also concerns the debate on the use of violence, but in this film, it is all stacked in favour of violent solutions-there are no alternatives that are perceived as valid-though in the beginning Tom’s son 16-year old son Jack (Ashton Holmes), uses his wit and wisdom to deal with school bullies.
Instead we find that Cronenberg and his scriptwriter Josh Olson believe in the survival of the fittest (no matter what the consequences).
We also are exposed to a history that is handed down-like father like son. This is the real tragedy of this gripping film. The movie is set in Millbrook, Indiana, where Tom has settled down and married a beautiful lawyer, Edie Stall (acted vivaciously by Maria Bello).
Besides Jack, they have a ten-year old very blonde daughter, Sarah Stall (Heidi Hayes) who has bad dreams. Tom runs a diner, a warm spot for the towns people and struggles to do-the-right thing.
The film opens introducing us to a duo of cold-blooded killers who have been terrorising the mid-west. One family dead and we know they are moving on. It then shifts to Sarah and her nightmare, to bring out the lines from Tom, “there are no monsters”. But we already know that there are and that soon they will show up in Millbrook.
Their mistake is to try and take over Tom’s café. His past catches up to him, when he very quickly and adroitly polishes them off. The choreographed violence in this film is among the best in action movies.
Tom is now a local hero and even gets national publicity. He doesn’t want it and he probably fears it. He is right, as it quickly bring three mobsters, led by Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris), from Philadelphia to Millbrook seeking some one known as Joey Cussack whom they assume to be Tom Stall.
When confronted, Tom denies it, but this is not good enough for them. They are convinced he is Joey and they want him to return to the “City of Brotherly Love” with them because he has a score to settle with Richie Cussack (a suave William Hurt) who hasn’t risen above his attempt to kill Joey when he was a baby. Tom has great difficulty defending his secret from his family, who demand to know who he really is. Both Edie and Jack are extremely upset to learn that they have a father with a history. Edie sends him to sleep on the couch and Jack speaks to him with open hostility. Even before he discovered his father’s split personality, Jack, who always had used non-violence to deal with the two bullies at school who torment him, explodes and is suspended. He wonders who he really is?
Events quickly implode. It is not long before ten people are dead, nine of them killed by Tom/Joey.
Caught in the middle of all this is Millbrook’s Sheriff, Sam Carney (Peter MacNeill), a family friend who believes in small town cohesion-yet he wonders if Tom possibly has a secret past.
In his terms, he believes he must be hiding under a new name as part of a “witness protection plan”. Ah, if only that was the truth, but then we wouldn’t have a Cain and Abel situation.
“A History of Violence” is one hour and 35 minutes long. It is rated 16+ for violence, nudity and sex. It is loosely based on a story by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The cinematographer is Peter Suschitzky. The editor is Ronald Sanders.
The smooth western music is by Howard Shore.
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