A History of Violence – Blu-ray Review

By Patrick Luce Mar 2, 2009, 14:13 GMT

Director David Cronenberg\'s new thriller A History of Violence stars Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings, Hidalgo) as a pillar of a small town community who runs a diner and lives a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife, Maria Bello (ER, The Cooler) and their two children. Their lives become endangered when Mortensen thwarts an attempted robbery and is lauded as a hero by the media, attracting the attention ...more

David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence arrives on Blu-ray looking sharp, and still packing the same blend of drama and suspense that made it impossible to dismiss at the big screen and on DVD.

Although A History of Violence is one of my favorite of Cronenberg’s films and one of the best films of 2005, the quality picture is about the only reason to upgrade from the DVD. The Blu-ray has all the same special features that were included on the 2006 DVD release, but lacks anything new to justify the upgrade – unless you just really love the film.

Written by Josh Olson and based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, the film features great performances from Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, and a chilling Ed Harris.

The movie follows family man Tom Stall (Mortensen) who is confronted by his past, and forced to defend his family from the man he used to be. Along with his journey, the family, wife (Bello), teenage son (Ashton Holmes) and daughter (Heidi Hayes), has to decide if they can still trust Tom and save their family from his violent past.

Tom’s world starts crashing after he is forced to kill two men during a robbery of his local diner. He is dubbed a hero by the media, and the extra attention brings Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris, with a scarred face, creepy eye and deadly voice) to Tom’s diner.

Carl is there to find his old friend Joey, and he is convinced Tom is Joey. It seems Joey used to do jobs on the wrong side of the law and even used a strip of barbwire to give Carl his pretty looks.

At first, Tom and his family try to dismiss Carl and ignore the way he keeps showing up wherever they are or at their front yard. It doesn’t take long for Tom to have to confront the demons of his past, and for the movie to explode into brutal action.

Cronenberg keeps the film thick with tension and shows how “violence” can destroy everything good in this family. Early on, it is clear Mortensen is a good family man, and has a very successful marriage. He and Bello have excellent chemistry early in the film, but as the story plays out everything seems to change.

They both become distant and seem to be strangers to each other. This makes the plot feel extremely real, and performances sell the damage being done to the couple’s relationship.

In addition to showing how this one event destroys a family, Cronenberg’s film shows how we respond to violence through the media and how anyone is capable of violence when push comes to shove.

The film looks incredible on Blu-ray and the picture brings out little details you might have missed the first time you saw it at the theaters or on DVD. If you are a fan of the film, the picture is worth the upgrade. The features are the same that were on the DVD, and worth watching. They take you into the making of the film, look at the film’s heavy plot, and give you Cronenberg’s perspective on the story.

Without a doubt, A History of Violence was on of the best films released in 2005, and only gets better with multiple viewings. Even though it is lacking on special features, the Blu-ray is worth picking up for fans of the film.

A History of Violence [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon. Visit the DVD database for more information.