On H List of Movie Reviews
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A History of Violence (2005)
Rate:
3
Viewed:
6/08
6/08:
I guess the new rule of cinema is: the more recent the movie is, the less David Cronenberg it feels.
For the most part, A History of Violence is unrefined, poorly handled, and ludicrous. Although the
story is reasonably good, the performances are unconvincing.
Ed Harris steals the show, which is slow paced, by jump-starting the momentum, especially in the first
fifteen minutes. Viggo Mortensen's acting appears improved, but he's not believable enough as Crazy Joey. Maria
Bello thinks being fully naked is the key to acting and pretending to be an anguished wife is dramatic.
Ashton Holmes, who plays the teenage son, doesn't look like he belongs in the family. Heidi Hayes is the
daughter who turns out to be the least developed character. William Hurt is overrated. Hell, how many scenes
is he in this anyway? And for how long? Jeez, what a joke to give him an Oscar nomination.
The angry sex scene on the stairs is pointless while the tension between Tom Stall and his wife is shallow. So,
Tom, who looks out of shape, runs from the town to his house which must be ten miles long. He does all of this
in long sleeves and long pants with a stabbed foot and wrong shoes. And the whole time, he isn't shown sweaty
for a second?
All in all, A History of Violence is rubbish compared to
Eastern Promises.