A History Of Violence
While not necessarily on the level of some of Cronenberg’s Grand Masterpieces of horror, this certainly ranks as a step up in maturity and storytelling for the auteur. Actually, with its brisk 95-minute running time, it really is one of the rare films that leave you wanting MORE. I wanted more of the two killers at the beginning, more of Ed Harris, more of the relationship between Viggo and his son, more of Maria Bello being hot, and more about the main character’s shady past, including flashbacks. Never afraid of showing graphic violence, Cronenberg stages some of the best gruesome scenes in recent history (the closeup of the face blasted off was a highlight). Mortensen carries the show with an average guy charm, never overdoing it despite what we find out about him, Bello is a pure sexpot throughout (her cheerleader scene is a highlight), Harris scares the crap out of the viewer with a few well-placed lines and William Hurt is just great, despite his limited screen time which garnered an out of left field Oscar nomination. They probably could have cast someone a little manlier for the role of Viggo’s son, but it serves its purpose as well. The one big problem was a VERY glaring plot hole towards the end (they know what this guy is capable of, yet they try to STRANGLE him?! With the wimpiest of the henchmen as well??), but all in all, this is a nice serving of an original story that leaves the viewer hungering for seconds…
9/10