A History Of Violence (2005) ***1/2
I remember thinking when I first saw A History Of Violence twenty years ago when it was released in theaters that this was a more straightforward David Cronenberg. That's intentional in the design. While it feels more like a studio film than any other Cronenberg film, it's definitely still a Cronenberg film—the bursts of violence, the beautiful Howard Shore score, the rich Peter Suschitzky cinematography, that last scene (and last shot). It's just more subdued.
AHOV is a very good film and it rewards rewatches. It's funnier than I remembered. Viggo Mortensen is good, Maria Bello is really good. I never realized before how much of John Ford's (and Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven (1992) (review)) influence hangs over this one as well—violent pasts, identity, the myth of the idyllic American dream. Still, something has always felt missing. Several of the situations feel a bit too contrived. The accents are a bit too forced. I like that overall it's simple and relatively subtle, but I almost wish the film was more melodramatic—perhaps then it would feel more Cronenbergian.
Comments
Post a Comment