If you asked someone what their favorite action movie is, John Wick would probably top the list. Chad Stahelski and David Leitch turned years of stunt experience into a bloody, gripping action movie that helped reinvigorate Keanu Reeves‘ career. John Wick is also notable for its deep themes of grief, as its protagonist mourns the loss of a dog meant to help him cope with the loss of his late wife. Long before John Wick hit theaters, another action thriller about a normal man trying to escape his violent past gripped audiences, and it’s now streaming on HBO Max.
That movie is A History of Violence. Based on the DC Comics/Vertigo graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence is a pitch-perfect take on its source material, thanks to director David Cronenberg and lead Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen plays Tom Spall, a mild-mannered man who runs a local diner with his wife Edie (Maria Bello) and his two children. When two criminals attempt to hold up the diner, Tom kills them with ice-cold precision. This makes him a local hero, and reveals secrets from his past that he’s tried hard to bury. What follows is a gripping thriller that will hook viewers from beginning to end.
‘A History of Violence’ Is Gripping From Start To Finish
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Image via New Line Cinema</figure>
To say that A History of Violence is . . .well, violent, is an understatement. The scene where Tom takes out the two robbers in the diner is a key example, as he slams a coffee pot into one’s face and blows the other’s brains out when he gets stabbed. What makes it so surprising is that the movie was a departure for its director and leading man. Cronenberg was best known for truly disturbing horror movies like Scanners and Videodrome, while Mortensen was coming off of the massive success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. No one was expecting them to make a gritty crime thriller, and yet that’s part of the draw of A History of Violence. Mortensen’s mild-mannered demeanor as Tom makes the violence hit all the harder, while Cronenberg uses his horror experience to ramp up the tension leading to firefights.
A History of Violence also takes the time to explore what living a life full of violence does to a man, as it’s slowly revealed that Tom was once a mob enforcer named Joey Cusack. Not only does his brother Richie (William Hurt) want him back in the “family buisness”, but the revelation puts a strain on his marriage and arguments with his son about getting into fights. Cronenberg would even talk about how he wanted to explore the consequences of violence, and how he wanted his audience to think about those consequences:
“In this movie, we’ve got an audience that’s definitely going to applaud these acts of violence, and they do because it’s set up that these acts are justifiable and almost heroic at times. But I’m saying, “Okay, if you can applaud that, can you applaud this?” because this is the result of that gunshot in the head. It’s not nice. And even if the violence is justifiable, the consequences of the violence are the same.”
“In this movie, we’ve got an audience that’s definitely going to applaud these acts of violence, and they do because it’s set up that these acts are justifiable and almost heroic at times. But I’m saying, “Okay, if you can applaud that, can you applaud this?” because this is the result of that gunshot in the head. It’s not nice. And even if the violence is justifiable, the consequences of the violence are the same.”
- The first film not in the English language to win Best Picture, in the Academy’s
92-year history to that point. - It took four Oscars in one night: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and International
Feature. - It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2019 by a unanimous jury vote, the first Korean film
to do so. - The Park family’s modernist house was not a location. It was built from scratch on an
outdoor lot.
- Seven Oscars, including three acting wins for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee
Curtis. - Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win Best Actress.
- The visual effects were handled by a team of fewer than ten people, most of them
self-taught. - Ke Huy Quan had all but left acting for two decades before this role brought him back.
- Seven Oscars, including Nolan’s first wins for directing and for Best Picture.
- Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. both took their first Academy Awards for it.
- Kodak engineered a black-and-white 65mm stock that did not previously exist so Nolan could
shoot those sequences on IMAX. - A three-hour, R-rated drama about theoretical physics that passed 950 million dollars
worldwide.
- Four Oscars, among them Best Picture and Best Director for Iñárritu.
- Emmanuel Lubezki’s win here was the middle of three consecutive cinematography Oscars,
after Gravity and before The Revenant. - Antonio Sánchez’s improvised drum score was ruled ineligible for the score category,
which caused a minor uproar. - The long-take illusion was built from a handful of extended shots joined by hidden cuts.
- Four Oscars: Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem.
- Adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel, with much of his dialogue carried over
intact. - Carter Burwell’s score runs about sixteen minutes and is nearly inaudible by design.
- Roger Deakins was nominated twice that year, for this and The Assassination of Jesse James,
and won for neither.
Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg Reunited for Two Movies After ‘A History of Violence’
Image via New Line Cinema- Image via New Line Cinema
- Image by New Line Cinema
- Image via New Line Cinema
- Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Image via New Line Cinema
Image via New Line Cinema
Image by New Line Cinema
Image via New Line Cinema
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures- Image via New Line Cinema
- Image via New Line Cinema
- Image by New Line Cinema
- Image via New Line Cinema
- Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Image via New Line Cinema
Image via New Line Cinema
Image by New Line Cinema
Image via New Line Cinema
Image via Warner Bros. PicturesA History of Violence is still held in high esteem, to the point where it’s considered to be one of the best movies released in the 21st century. It wouldn’t be the last time that Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg worked together, as the duo reunited for two more movies. Eastern Promises stars Mortensen as a Russian enforcer forced to confront the evil his employers take part in, mirroring the conflict Tom finds himself in during A History of Violence. A Dangerous Method took a different approach, as Mortensen portrayed Sigmund Freud while exploring more of the famed psychologist’s personal life.
Most crime thrillers thrive on a buffet of blood and violence, but A History of Violence is the opposite. It stays with its audience long after the credits roll, thanks to a stellar performance from Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg’s taut, thoughtful approach to the material.
A History of Violence
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