The Good
A complete look at the many facets of this film while still leaving an air of mystery about the story.
The Bad
Replay value may not be as high as you want it to be once you get to know the plot.
A History of Violence is one of those movies that is going to be hailed even more in 10 years that it currently is right now. With David Cronenberg’s surefire direction and complex and interesting performances from everyone in the cast, this is the kind of film that will surely be more and more appreciated as the years pass on.
I reviewed this movie in July of last year when I covered it theatrically, and I remember saying to anyone who would listen that this was one of the best films of the year and that Viggo Mortensen would surely be honored for his portrayal of Tom Stall. Well, award season has come and gone and while this movie did garner some nods from various award institutions, I sadly don’t think A History of Violence received nearly as much credit as it deserved.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Hopefully, this DVD will show people everything they may or may not have missed.
Features
David Cronenberg is one of those guys that’s so well educated and well spoken, that if he wasn’t making movies, he would probably be working in a laboratory somewhere. I love the detachment he has from his own work and he truly seems to be able to watch this film objectively. The way he breaks down the characters and breaks down the scenes, without telling us exactly what we are seeing, is an art that few creative types can master.
Cronenberg keeps the commentary tracks coming over the deleted scenes as well. To be honest, this is one of the few DVDs that I have screened where the director’s commentary and the attendant deleted scenes really accompany each other well. In fact, I screened both of these extra features in such close proximity to each other, that it was almost like I got an even more fleshed out version of A History of Violence.
Featurettes
As I found the featurettes for this DVD to cover some of the similar ground, I figured I would review them all in one section. There are four in all and their titles are Acts of Violence, Violence’s History: U.S. vs. International Versions, Too Commercial for Cannes and The Unmaking of Scene 44. While all of these have some other angle whereby they examine various parts of this film, at the heart of each of them is this idea of violence. It is examined in terms of where it comes from within us, as well as the effect it has on a society and it’s explored in how violence is depicted on screen. While I think these featurettes overlap one another, I also think they are very interesting in how they broach their subject matter.
Video
1.85:1 Aspect Ratio - This film has such a deliberate quality to it but it never feels forced or fake. In fact, the compression on this DVD seems worlds better than when I initially watched the film in New Line’s screening room. I really love how this movie starts off almost colorless and then by the end of the film, after everything the characters have been through, the picture quality is almost muddy with all the colors of the various characters who have darkened the screen.
Audio
English - Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround. A History of Violence is neither a quiet movie, nor is it one that beats the viewers over the head with it’s many ideas. It is a film that presents us information about the characters and ultimately by doing that, it shows us that much more about ourselves. This is one of the few movies that came out last year whose soundtrack I would like to own. There is an almost melodramatic feel to the film as we see all the main participants sadly succumb to their situations.
Package
A large, almost iconic shot of Viggo Mortensen holding a gun as his family looks on in fear behind him makes up this front cover. This image gracefully juxtaposes two different scenes from the film. The back features a description of A History of Violence, a “Special Features” listing, a cast list and some technical specs. Honestly, I wish they had used the artwork from this movie’s theatrical one sheet (the one where a gun is prominent in the picture and we just see Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello), but overall I think this packaging gets the point across.
Final Word
I think what really surprises people about this film is that it is a bunch of different movies at once. It begins as a simple tale about a man and his family, it suddenly becomes a thriller and then it evolves even further into an almost Cain and Abel-like story. This film really isn’t one thing at any point during it’s 96 minute run time, yet it is always a highly focused and highly charged film. While some people may want a straight up action thriller and others might want the story to develop more on a personal level, director David Cronenberg shows the mastery of his craft by not only developing all those threads but only tying up the ones he feels are necessary.
A History of Violence is a movie that refuses to reside in any one gray area for too long.
A History of Violence was released September 23, 2005.
