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A History of Violence

I liked it one half star.

0 votes

I liked it one star.

1 votes

I liked it one and a half stars.

2 votes

I liked it two stars.

0 votes

I liked it two and a half stars.

0 votes

I liked it three stars.

1 votes

I liked it three and a half stars.

1 votes

I liked it four stars.

1 votes

I liked it four and a half stars.

0 votes

I liked it five stars.

0 votes

Edgy DC May 12 2006 04:00 PM

A seemingly humble small-town guy emerges as a hero in an attempted stickup, but from his newfound fame brings a question about a past life that he may or may not have led.

Elster88 May 13 2006 08:07 PM

Nothing special.

Edgy DC May 13 2006 08:49 PM

I found it less than that. I found it un-special.

metirish May 14 2006 08:25 PM

I had read so much about this movie that I bought it and fuck was I pissed, I need to remember that when critics rave about a flick I need to stay away.

Vic Sage May 15 2006 09:15 AM

i found it really compelling. It reminded me of Eastwood's UNFORGIVEN. I like stories that underscore no only our inherent ferocity as a species, but our potential for redemption. Cronenberg is one of my faves, and i think this is one of his more interesting films.

Edgy DC May 15 2006 10:48 AM Edited 5 time(s), most recently on Jul 23 2007 11:10 AM

There's about a hundred loose ends in this. Minor Spoilers Ahead A samll-town guy kills two guys who come to town on an interstate killing spree. Then some mafiosi from Philadelphia come a-calling to his midwestern hamlet, they publicly threaten, they leave, they come back, they threaten, there's (without giving too much away) a violent altercation with them, then the hero hops in his pickup to drive back to Philly and settle some old scores, and drives back. All through this, the FBI never gets involved, and all the small-town guy has to contend with is a small-town sherriff scratching his head and going, "Tom, I've been bouncin' this around my head and sumfin' just ain't addin' up." No. Also, somehow, an inexperience teenager manages to leave a house and sneak up on a vicious and experienced (if one-eyed) mobster facing the house, and pick up a shotgun (which he's never used) which was also, when we last checked, in his field of vision. Unlike Unforgiven, this is filled with slick, polished, stylizied violence. Vioent confilct, it tells me, is sexy and it takes place in sexy environments. The high school corriders and locker-rooms were lit in a perpetual twilight at all hours of the day.

Elster88 May 15 2006 01:23 PM

Actually I did like the scene with Viggo and his brother.

Edgy DC May 15 2006 01:32 PM

We spent half the movie going, "Yeah, this sucks, but eventually William Hurt is going to show up, probably as a mobster, and there's nothing more fun than a method actor over-playing a mobster." William Hurt, you did not disappoint me.

ScarletKnight41 May 15 2006 01:34 PM

I wanted to see this film before the Oscars, because of the nominations. I thought it was stupid of them to wait until after the Oscars to release it on DVD. Since it didn't win anything, I have no incentive to rent it now.

Elster88 May 15 2006 01:38 PM

"Over-playing"?

Edgy DC May 15 2006 02:42 PM

A large characterization. Squeezing a lot of performance into one or two scenes.

Elster88 May 15 2006 02:46 PM

Maybe he's sad at the direction his career has taken.