"Emotionally wrenching, tautly directed, and philosophically rich – was there any doubt Cronenberg would nail this one?" Mike Pinsky DVD VERDICT "It's rare to find a filmmaker who can deliver such a message and keep us riveted every minute of screen time. But Cronenberg manages it, making A History of Violence one of his best, and most realistic, films ever." Bill Muller, ARIZONA REPUBLIC "I defy anyone who sees the opening sequence of A History of Violence not to be drawn into buying a ticket." Terry Lawson DETROIT FREE PRESS "There's not a scene wasted in the 97-minute unspooling, not a detour that doesn't tell, surprise, horrify, delight." Lisa Schwarzbaum ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "Other films this year will have to sweat bullets to match the explosive power and subversive wit of David Cronenberg's A History of Violence." Peter Travers ROLLING STONE

"The movie is enthralling, with secrets, surprises, turns and twists, all in the service of a psychologically thrilling story." Eric D Snider ERICDSNIDER.COM "David Cronenberg's tense, lean drama-thriller is a bold, fresh film that's steeped in what's made his career great -- and is his most accessible movie in decades." James Rocchi NETFLIX "the dirty little secret explored in A History of Violence is that we all harbor a killer inside us, a killer we love with all our bloodthirsty little hearts." James Verniere BOSTON HERALD "Makes the medley of genres and moods a rich blend, at once profound and hilarious, serious and absurd--it's a masterful film that's masterful in a strange, deceptive way." Frank Swietek ONE GUY'S OPINION "It's a savage film that questions its savagery every step of the way and asks its audience to consider the costs of Dirty Harry diplomacy writ large. It will hit you like a ton of bricks. Don't miss it." Glenn Whipp LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

The Inside Story

"Cronenberg's movie is eerily compelling and darkly humorous. And chilling -- to the bone." Steven Rea PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

If you love a good adrenaline rush, "A History Of Violence" from Director David Cronenberg will send you into overdrive. It's clever, cunning, full of twists, turns and it will have you contemplating how it's going to pan out in the end. Cronenberg steers us through this energy charged, action packed story with great skill, ensuring the audience has time to draw breath. For many this film will fill the void left by the departure of Inspector Harry Callahan who metered out his own brand of justice in the cause of the 'wronged'. But please don't assume that this is in any way a 'Clint Eastwood style' production because it certainly isn't. What I'm trying to convey is this, like those Eastwood films there is violence but except for the leadin, this is righteous violence. The kind that leaves you untouched because you're siding with the 'hero' in the story. It's not abhorant or gratuitous violence for the sake of violence. "A History Of Violence" is the tale of an unassuming family, well known and respected within the community they live-in, who's lives are touched by a violent incident. When it comes to considering whether to see "A History Of Violence" it's important to note who was involved in the production of this film. The names JC Spink & Chris Bender; Genie and National Society of Film Critics Award winner David Cronenberg; Academy, BAFTA and Cannes Best Actor Award winner William Hurt; Academy, Golden Globe, Genie Award winning composer Howard Shore; Golden Globe winner Ed Harris and three time Genie Award winning Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky aren't on this film's credits because it's just another job. These are professionals who know which projects they want to be involved with and have a strong commitment to quality. Take William Hurt as an example. He's only in "A History Of Violence" for six or seven minutes at the most, yet he's been nominated for an Oscar at the 2006 Academy Awards. The last time that happened was Dame Judith Dench who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar with a ten minute appearance in the 1998 film "Shakespeare In Love". Hurt's performance is as powerful as the films title, but once again, when it comes to considering seeing "A History Of Violence, "don't let the films title put you off. "The title was intriguing," says screenwriter Josh Olson who adapted John Wagner and Vince Locke’s graphic novel. "It sparked a lot of ideas. What would happen to real people in this situation was my approach. What really interested me about the story was taking this classic middle America family and putting them into an extreme situation, and show how it affected them, what happens when you inject violence into an ordinary, happy household." If that was the case, then why would Cronenberg be attracted to the project? "It does have a powerful emotional resonance." A married couple with two kids are trying to live an open, straightforward honest life, and finding it difficult to do that. So I fell for that classical element," he said adding, "It’s mainstream to a certain extent, but it has some very disturbing and interesting undercurrents." Producer Chris Bender has his own thoughts on what may have attracted the award winning director of films such as "The Dead Zone" which in 1984 won three out of the five Avoriaz Film Festival prizes. "A lot of David’s movies have to do with identities, what’s real and what’s not," he offers."What ties this movie to his others is Viggo Mortensen’s character Tom Stall, who is struggling with an identity problem and questioning the reality he is living." Director of Photography, Peter Suschitzky who had previously worked on six films with Cronenberg, encouraged him to take on the directorial role. "When I first read the script, I knew it was quite different and more narrative driven than anything that David had tackled before," Suschitzky said. "To encourage him to take it, I asked him to think about the movies of Fritz Lang ["The Thousand Eyes of Dr Mabuse", "Hangmen Also Die!" and "The Plague in Florence"] because one of the main themes running through Lang’s movies was that of a character who can’t escape his fate. An interesting link." When it came to the cast, Cronenberg admits he "couldn’t have asked for a better cast. The tone is of seriously good acting, a profound dedication to the roles and digging deep into the characters." That's an assessment those who see "A History Of Violence" will agree with! His first choice for Tom and Edie Stall were Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello whom he personally enlisted. "Viggo was very deliberate and thoughtful before he chose to do this movie," producer Chris Bender pointed out. "He met with David a number of times. He really wanted to understand the script and the transformation his character undergoes. It was really about him falling in love with this character before he decided to do it." Mortensen was full of praise for the director. "I don’t think I’ve ever felt more like I was on the same wavelength with a director as I am with David. I like his way of telling a story. He not only shows a wholly original knack for entertaining audiences with a good psychological drama, but he also allows an audience to ask itself difficult questions about the nature of violence and confusion of identity." Cronenberg admits "Viggo’s my kind of actor. First of all they tend not to be afraid because they’re not trying to protect some image they see of themselves as traditional leading men, but also it gives them a much bigger palette to paint from because they have all kinds of edges. I need a kind of eccentricity that is more typical of a character actor than a leading man, and yet still has a leading man presence and charisma." Maria Bello, Mortensen's co-star and onscreen wife Edie, says she "had been a huge fan of Cronenberg’s ever since she’d seen "Dead Ringers". "I thought David would be really bizarre, because of his movies. But he’s so down to earth, incredibly intelligent, kind and honest and has so much integrity, I fell in love with him from the get-go." And you know how I'm always raving about William H Macey, Maria Bello and their performances in "The Cooler" and urging readers to get it on DVD, well read on. "Maria was a real discovery for me," says Cronenberg. "When I saw her in "The Cooler", the movie showed what she could do in terms of subtlety, a kind of really vulnerable sexuality that was very real. I thought she could play this very complex, and yet at the same time, simple character, who is a small-town lawyer who embraces the energy, closeness and comfort of a small town with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, not brow-beaten by that but rather empowered by it. I thought she could bring all of those qualities to this character, who, as things unfold in the movie, undergoes some profound changes and discovers hidden aspects of herself." And as she did in "The Cooler", Bello delivers again. When Golden Globe winner Ed Harris and Oscar winner William Hurt joined the cast it was a dream come true for the director as he'd wanted to work with them for a long time. "Landing Ed was one of our casting triumphs," producer Chris Bender ("The Hangover") says . "He’s perfect in the role." Cronenberg, who admits he has admired Harris for years says, "I thought he had the toughness, the presence and the charisma to carry off this character. I wanted him to be very real, very intense." But here's the twist Harris says he wanted to work with the director. "The reason I wanted to work with David is because he’s a filmmaker, he knows what he’s doing, he has his own vision, and it’s just fun to work with people that care about what they’re doing. You just know somebody is in command there. Not that you can’t come up with stuff, not that he doesn’t listen to new ideas, not that he isn’t a collaborator, but ultimately, it’s his film. Everybody understands that and I like working that way." Working with Harris had an effect on Maria Bello thanks to one scene Harris improvised in. Looking like he was going to attack Edie scared the hell out of everybody watching the monitor. "Ed pushed me as an actor so that the scene became really dynamic. His performances are so stunning and so earthy. They come from such a sensual place," she said. As for actor William Hurt, well he says he'd longed to work with Mortensen. "When we got together, it became a six-hour cup of coffee. Bill has a very unique mind and a lot of things to offer," recalls Mortensen. "My impression is that he had a lot of fun." I'm sure that those who see "A History Of Violence" will agree: at the end of the day, it's a lot of fun! Cast & Crew Bytes "A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE" stars .......
Viggo Mortensen ["Carlito's Way", "Crimson Tide", "28 Days" and "The Lord Of The Rings I, II & III"]; Maria Bello ["Duets", "Auto Focus", "The Cooler" and "Assault on Precinct 13"]; Ed Harris ["A Beautiful Mind", "The Hours", "Masked and Anonymous" and "The Human Stain"]; Ashton Holmes ["A Million Miles to Sunshine"]; Peter MacNeill ["Frequency", "Who Is Cletis Tout?", "Open Range" and "Geraldine's Fortune"]; Stephen McHattie ["La Femme Nikita", "Secretary", "Twist" and "The Lazarus Child"] and William Hurt ["Artificial Intelligence: AI", "Changing Lanes", "Tuck Everlasting" and "The Village"] as Richie Cusack.
"A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE" was .......
directed by David Cronenberg ["The Dead Zone", "The Fly", "Dead Ringers" and "Spider"]; screenplay by Josh Olson ["A Moment Of Silence", "Puppy Love", "Instinct to Kill" and "Infested"]; original story by John Wagner and Vince Locke; costume design by Denise Cronenberg ["A Cool, Dry Place", "Dracula 2000", "Spider" and "Dawn of the Dead"]; production design by Carol Spier ["Naked Lunch", "The Santa Clause", "Blade II" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen"]; edited by Ronald Sanders ["Perfectly Normal", "Naked Lunch", "Have Mercy" and "Dead by Monday"]; cinematography by Peter Suschitzky ["The Vanishing", "M Butterfly", "Mars Attacks!" and "The Man in the Iron Mask"]; original music by Howard Shore ["The Cell", "Panic Room", "The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King" and "The Aviator"] produced by J C Spink ["The Ring I & II", "Monster-In Law", "Red Eye" and "Just Friends"], David Cronenberg ["Transfer", "Stereo", "Crimes Of The Future" and "eXistenZ"] and Chris Bender ["American Pie", "American Pie: The Wedding", "The Butterfly Effect" and "The Ring I & II"]. What It's All About

"In A History of Violence, director David Cronenberg's delirious wow of a movie about violence and sex and the American dream, cinema regains all its original power to shock and surprise." Bruce Newman SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

Millbrook, Indiana population 3,246 is a quiet town. The townfolk are friendly, everyone knows each other and nothing much ever happens. The peace is about to be shattered when late at night two strangers enter Tom Stall's Diner right on closing time. He tells them they're just closing up but they insist on being served. When a female staff attempts to leave, the situation turns bad. What Tom, his cook and waitress don't know is that the two men are cold-blooded killers who have been on a killing spree. "We don't carry much cash here", Tom tells them. Somehow as if by a miracle Tom manages to disarm one man and then kills both men. The town becomes a centre for media attention. There are news crews everywhere. Tom who has been injured in the encounter is treated at the local hospital and allowed to go home. He's a hero and both locals and the media are waiting for him. He plays it down. It's nothing. But is it? How could such a quiet unassuming man with long ties to the local community disarm two vicious killers and kill them so efficiently? Was it just luck? How come Tom is so good at killing people? The Verdict "Nominated for 2 ACADEMY AWARDS & a BAFTA for best screenplay, "A History Of Violence" will have you on the edge of your seat trying to second guess where it's going and how it will all end the 'right' way. "A History Of Violence" is filled with intrigue, twists, turns, suspence and foreboding. A first class thriller, "A History Of Violence" will have your heart racing, pupils dilating and the adrenalin coarsing through your bloodstream. Very Recommended. * * * * STARS." Who's Who?

Viggo Mortensen Maria Bello Ed Harris William Hurt Ashton Holmes Peter MacNeill Stephen McHattie Greg Bryk Sumela Kay Kyle Schmid Deborah Drakeford Gerry Quigley Heidi Hayes Aidan Devine Bill MacDonald Michelle McCree Ian Matthews R D Reid

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Tom Stall Edie Stall Carl Fogarty Richie Cusack Jack Stall Sheriff Sam Carney Leland Jones William Orser Judy Danvers Bobby Jordan Charlotte Mick Sarah Stall Charlie Roarke Frank Mulligan Jenny Wyeth Ruben Pat

The Crew Directed by David Cronenberg From the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke Screenplay by Josh Olson Produced by Chris Bender/David Cronenberg/J C Spink Original Music by Howard Shore Cinematography by Peter Suschitzky Film Editing by Ronald Sanders Casting by Mark Bennett & Deirdre Bowen Production Design by Carol Spier Art Direction by James McAteer Set Decoration by Peter P Nicolakakos Costume Design by Denise Cronenberg Run Time 95 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - New Line Cinema - All Rights Reserved ENDURING© - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - All Rights Reserved