I finally got around to seeing "A History of Violence" and it totally lived up to my high expectations. If you haven't seen it yet, and plan to, then by all means avoid the rest of today's post since it will contain spoilers.
I was impressed with all aspects of the film. In fact, "A History of Violence" now ties "The Dead Zone" as my all time favorite David Cronenberg film. The cast was equally impressive [Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bella and the always excellent Ed Harris].
I'd also like to give special mention to William Hurt. Hurt is not one of my favorite actors, and since "Body Heat" I can't think of any of his roles that I've really liked... that is until now. He was perfect as Richie Cusack. Absolutely perfect! [And if you happened to catch Hurt's role as the hitman in TNT's recent adaptation of Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes, he was just as good, if not better!]
The thing that kept staying on my mind after watching "A History of Violence" was the dual nature in all of us. All of the major characters in the film displayed a duality that was interesting, but it was Viggo's character that set everything in motion. So... was Viggo really Tom Stall or Joey Cusak? The things that Joey did made him a crazy killer, but the same actions made Tom Stall a hero.
Tom's wife thought he was the greatest man in the world until she saw what he was capable of. Then she was repulsed and attracted to him. How does that work? And why?
"A History of Violence" works on so many levels. I guess even movies have a dual nature.
If you saw the movie, I'd love to hear your thoughts. "A History of Violence" rates an A+
I was impressed with all aspects of the film. In fact, "A History of Violence" now ties "The Dead Zone" as my all time favorite David Cronenberg film. The cast was equally impressive [Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bella and the always excellent Ed Harris].
I'd also like to give special mention to William Hurt. Hurt is not one of my favorite actors, and since "Body Heat" I can't think of any of his roles that I've really liked... that is until now. He was perfect as Richie Cusack. Absolutely perfect! [And if you happened to catch Hurt's role as the hitman in TNT's recent adaptation of Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes, he was just as good, if not better!]
The thing that kept staying on my mind after watching "A History of Violence" was the dual nature in all of us. All of the major characters in the film displayed a duality that was interesting, but it was Viggo's character that set everything in motion. So... was Viggo really Tom Stall or Joey Cusak? The things that Joey did made him a crazy killer, but the same actions made Tom Stall a hero.
Tom's wife thought he was the greatest man in the world until she saw what he was capable of. Then she was repulsed and attracted to him. How does that work? And why?
"A History of Violence" works on so many levels. I guess even movies have a dual nature.
If you saw the movie, I'd love to hear your thoughts. "A History of Violence" rates an A+
2 comments:
Nice review, sir. I love this flick myself...glad to know we share it.
Thank you, sir!
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