Joe Shmoe Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Great movie. Definitely worth a rent. I didn't much care for the sort of abrupt ending, I thought it could have gone on a little longer, but good nevertheless. I'm a fan of the director. He also did the first Crash (1996), The Fly, Videodrome etc... This movie stars Vigo Mortenson ("Aragorn" LOTR) who does an excellent job. Does have some Gore, which is expected from this director, but it's not over done. Plot Summary Genres: Crime, Drama, Thriller Tagline: Everyone has something to hide. Plot Outline A bloody self defense incident involving a mild mannered man brings his hidden past back to haunt him and his family. Plot Synopsis: Based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence is the tale of Tom Stall. Tom is a loving family man and well-respected citizen of a small Indiana town. But when two savage criminals show up at his diner, Tom is forced to take action and thwart the robbery attempt. Suddenly heralded as a hero who took the courage to stand up to crime, people look up to Tom as a man of high moral regard. But all that media attention has the likes of mobsters showing up at his doorstep, charging that Tom is someone else they've been looking for. Is it a case of mistaken identity or does Tom have a history that no one knows about? Either way, someone's about to find out if there's a history of violence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburnwilly Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 I've heard nothing but good things about the movie , can't wait to see it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted March 31, 2006 Moderators Share Posted March 31, 2006 Hmm.... I saw this last weekend. I think I anticipated something much more than it was, and I ended up being disappointed. It was good, but I wanted more. Once again, I found myself not caring about the characters at all......the ending I could sense would've been very powerful --but I just didn't care one way or the other. There was just something missing. I think maybe I found the wife too annoying, the dad too extreme on both ends of the spectrum, and the kids too cliched. The voilence was good though, for all you boys. [] And the scene with William Hurt was great. I feel like I've been poo-pooing movies too much lately. Maybe I'm just in a slump, and these are really great. Just ignore me [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theryugobuddy Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Just ignore me [] That's impossible!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Just ignore me [] That's impossible!!! Suck up [] Maybe I'm just in a slump...Just ignore me BOTH are impossible [] But seriously...I haven't heard anything about this movie. What's this action scene all us boys are supposed to like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 The action scenes we boys will like are all of David Cronenberg's classically relentless, no-holds-barred, in-your-face sequences of brutal violence. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and felt that it carried a lot of weight in terms of its examination of the human psyche and how intertwined, positively and negatively, it can become with your family and those close to you when under sudden, extreme circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 Just seen it recently and I liked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranjith Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I really liked the movie, great entertainment value. A very nice psychological take from Cronenberg, as always expected. Nick put it better with his "relentless, no-holds-barred, in-your-face sequences of brutal violence. " Vigo acted pretty well, quite a far cry from his Aragon days I'd think. Man.. that headshot he had in the cafe, wow! This guy must be good at CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARPRINCE Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I was disappointed with this movie. Didn't like it at all. I guess it has something to do with Viggo Mortensen as the leading actor. Somehow, I still him as the Aragorn from LOTR so he didn't appear credible to me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . But hey, at least now I know that Maria Bello is not a true blond. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikekid Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I thought the acting was pretty bad. Seemed a bit "thrown together" as so many other movies over the past few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickB Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 I thought the 1st half of the movie was pretty good. I didn't care as much for the 2nd half. Still it was worth a one time rent to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluless Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 Well, I walked into this one with no pre-conceived notions or ideas, Which was probably a really good thing. I kinda-sorta-liked it, BUT the movie tried to be too many things for too many people, and as a result it never accomplished much of anything. It had some over-the-top mafia violence and melodrama - too the point of being rather silly, Ed Harris would have been beter replaced with Christopher Walken. Viggo Mrtensen, makes a really good bad man, but fails miserably as the sensitive type, thus totally screwing the ending.....And speaking of the ending, the wife realy should have passed him the peas......or the carrots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theryugobuddy Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 You guys sound like my wife -- not happy with the way it is and always offering "better" solutions. This is a great movie--Viggo is very good at playing a panicky mild mannered man and a forceful killer. This is the best performance I've seen of Maria Bello. William Hurt turns in the best job, even as a cameo, I've seen of him in more than a decade. I loved the ending--passing the peas would have been too perfect. The kid playing his son was not the best actor, but his story was rich-- All the gore was secondary to the situations and the drama around them--this is one of those great movies where you really don't know what will happen next--and they are not scared to show the result of some real violence on the human body-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I enjoyed it also. Probably because I hadn't heard any reviews. The ending was a bit dissappointing though. Loved it when the kid beat the crap out of those guys in school and the entire William Hurt scene was great. It's one of those movies that you like better the next day when you think back on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and felt that it carried a lot of weight in terms of its examination of the human psyche and how intertwined, positively and negatively, it can become with your family and those close to you when under sudden, extreme circumstances. I...um, liked it too.[:S] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 As with all films, some will like it, some won't. Different strokes for different folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theryugobuddy Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 As with all films, some will like it, some won't. Different strokes for different folks. So true--and its the movies that still try appeal to everyone that bore the snot out of me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 I know you loved Titanic, don't lie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Bottomline; Average movie, Average acting, nothing special, Average movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theryugobuddy Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 I know you loved Titanic, don't lie! It had its moments-- Leo still to me is too youthful to be a movie star- I was talking mainly about the Cheaper by the Dozens of the world--and most sequels-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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