A History of Violence [Blu-ray]

A History of Violence [Blu-ray]
by David Cronenberg

A History of Violence [Blu-ray]
List Price: $24.98
Our Price: $7.98
You Save: $17.00 (68%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.95 (click here)
Category: Blu-ray
See more Blu-ray details


(Click here)
Buy this Blu-ray movie at online store in your country
Canada

Blu-ray details

Actor: Ed Harris, Maria Bello, Viggo Mortensen, William Hurt
Director: David Cronenberg
Brand: NEW Line Home Video
Blu-ray: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 96 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: 2009-02-10
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: New Line Home Video
Product features:
  • An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father (Viggo Mortensen) commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner. Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R Age: 883929037926 UPC: 883929037926 Manufacturer No: 1000042712

Blu-ray Reviews of A History of Violence [Blu-ray]

Blu-ray Review: DON'T stand by your man.
Summary: 2 Stars

I watched these films one right after the other ("Promises", first). As they're thematically almost identical, and have the same male lead, it made sense to write a single review covering both.

In "History", I'm not giving away any great secret when I reveal that Tom Stall really is a gangster trying to escape his past and lead a decent life. He's "outed" when obliged to kill the men robbing his diner, and the TV stories of his heroism come to the attention of those he thought would never be able to locate him. The rest of the film is basically a revenge tale in which Stall is obliged to kill every last one of them, including his brother (an almost-unrecognizable William Hurt, in a performance that sidesteps most of the "standard-gangster" clichés).

The problem is that there's not much else to the story. It's little more than a revenge tale that has no moral force, because Stall truly needs to protect himself and his family. There is no drama without choice. (Roger Ebert's argument that had Joey /truly/ become Tom, he would have died in the diner robbery, is absurd. Tom throws hot coffee at one of the robbers, which /any/ desperate person would have done if they were worried about the lives of those around them. Tom is virtually certain that the younger of the robbers /will/ kill one of his employees, even before he hands over the cash register's contents. This renders pointless any ambiguity about "who" Tom really is -- if you know you're going to die, you'll take any chance.)

Despite Cronenberg's averral that he wants the audience to identify with Stall's killings (rather than be revulsed by them), so that we have to consider their morality, the /fact/ is that Stall's need to violently defend himself is at least /legally/ justifiable, and the audience is completely on the side of a genuinely reformed gangster from the start. I greatly enjoyed the vicarious pleasure of seeing him off every one of his enemies, and most viewers are likely to cheer rather than turn away.

Another problem with "History" is the way Stall's wife is so quick to reject him when she learns the truth. We see, in an early sex scene, how much they genuinely care for each other, but even Tom's post-revelation rape (yes), which she thoroughly enjoys, is not enough to bring her to her senses. If Cronenberg is making the trite observation that we never /really/ know the people we live with, it would have been more effective if Stall's wife, though understandably frightened and anguished, were also at least /somewhat/ ambivalent about the situation. How can a woman who says "You're the best man I've ever known" be so quick to think the man she's spent almost 20 years with is a monster in disguise? But, no, she firmly rejects him until the final scene (which Cronenberg directs with beautiful restraint). I would have kicked her out and found a more-loyal mate.

There's no restraint in Cronenberg's continuing love for explicit gore. In both films people are brutally killed, and Cronenberg doesn't hesitate to show us -- in close-up -- such things as a slit throat pumping blood, or the nearly blown-off jaw of a still-living person. (If you think this is bad, take a look at the deleted scenes from "The Fly", some of which would likely have gotten that film an X rating.)

If "A History of Violence" is about character, rather than plot (as Roger Ebert suggests it is), you coulda fooled /me/. Its ending is largely determined by its beginning, and that is not the substance of character-driven stories. There is one genuinely clever and witty scene in which Stall's son, Jack, verbally humiliates the school bully. But Jack is later obliged to beat up the guy, and Stall is worried about being sued by the kid's parents (!!!).

"Eastern Promises" is about Russian gangsters in London. It, too, is a revenge story, but one of more complexity and subtlety. It has an audience-pleasing twist ending that is at least plausible, if not wholly likely.

Morton Vigoro -- I mean, Viggo Mortensen -- is a Russian criminal (Nikolai) who's the "driver" for a Russian gangster (Semyon -- Armand Mueller-Stahl) who runs a fine restaurant. Nikolai's tattoos reveal his criminal life; without these tattoos, he wouldn't be trusted, or for that matter, even be considered a criminal at all. When Semyon has had enough of his feckless son Kirill (Vincent Cassell), he agrees to have the kid offed, with Nikolai moving into Kirill's position -- which is what Nikolai has wanted all along. More I cannot say -- other than to be patient with the first few minutes of the film, which at first seem incomprehensible.

Unlike "History", "Promises" /is/ about character, and we're not sure how we're supposed to take Nikolai -- he seems to be a villain with just the faintest trace of a conscience. Kirill is particularly interesting, as his homophobia clearly covers his own sexual confusion. He's obviously in love with Nikolai. Nikolai's feelings about Kirill are not so clear. Is he just using Kirill -- or is he also attracted to him?

"Eastern Promises" is a legitimate drama, and if you can get past Cronenberg's horrifying neck slashings, you'll probably enjoy it.
Write your own review
More A History of Violence [Blu-ray] reviews:
1 2 3

Description of A History of Violence [Blu-ray]

An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father (Viggo Mortensen) commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.
On the surface, David Cronenberg may seem an unlikely candidate to direct A History of Violence, but dig deeper and you'll see that he's the right man for the job. As an intellectual seeker of meaning and an avowed believer in Darwinian survival of the fittest, Cronenberg knows that the story of mild-mannered small-town diner proprietor Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is in fact a multilayered examination of inbred human behavior, beginning when Tom's skillful killing of two would-be robbers draws unwanted attention to his idyllic family life in rural Indiana. He's got a loving wife (Maria Bello) and young daughter (Heidi Hayes) who are about to learn things about Tom they hadn't suspected, and a teenage son (Ashton Holmes) who has inherited his father's most prominent survival trait, manifesting itself in ways he never expected. By the time Tom has come into contact with a scarred villain (Ed Harris) and connections that lead him to a half-crazy kingpin (William Hurt, in a spectacular cameo), Cronenberg has plumbed the dark depths of human nature so skillfully that A History of Violence stands well above the graphic novel that inspired it (indeed, Cronenberg was unaware of the source material behind Josh Olson's chilling adaptation). With hard-hitting violence that's as sudden as it is graphically authentic, this is A History of Violence that's worthy of serious study and widespread acclaim. --Jeff Shannon
Bestsellers in DVD
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] ImageThe Story of Jeremiah [VHS]
Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS] ImageWresting With God [VHS]
by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops: $19.99
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS] ImageStudy Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]
Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops: $44.00
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS] ImageTempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]
HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops: $9.98
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/Party Video [VHS] ImageTempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]
HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Strike the Original Match [VHS] ImageStrike the Original Match [VHS]
New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops: $14.95
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] ImageMedjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]
JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008 ImageMayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008
by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops: $1,463.24
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single User ImagePediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single User
by Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops: $1,463.24
Cost Accounting [VHS] ImageCost Accounting [VHS]
by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Lord of War [Blu-ray] ImageLord of War [Blu-ray]
Lions Gate; Release date: 2006-06-27; Blu-ray
Best price: $8.58
Price in other shops: $14.99
Seven [Blu-ray Book] ImageSeven [Blu-ray Book]
NLV; Release date: 2010-09-14; Blu-ray
Best price: $13.61
Price in other shops: $34.99
Children of Men [Blu-ray] ImageChildren of Men [Blu-ray]
YACUZZI,JUAN GABRIE; Release date: 2009-05-26; Blu-ray
Best price: $10.03
Price in other shops: $19.98
Pride and Glory [Blu-ray] ImagePride and Glory [Blu-ray]
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2009-01-27; Blu-ray
Best price: $6.75
Price in other shops: $14.98
Film Art: An Introduction ImageFilm Art: An Introduction
by David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson
McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; Published: 2009-11-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $63.69
American History X [Blu-ray] ImageAmerican History X [Blu-ray]
NEW Line Home Video; Release date: 2009-04-07; Blu-ray
Best price: $6.07
Price in other shops: $14.98
The Cooler ImageThe Cooler
VMK; Release date: 2004-04-27; Published: 2004-04-01; DVD
Best price: $1.89
Price in other shops: $9.98
Appaloosa [Blu-ray] ImageAppaloosa [Blu-ray]
NEW Line Home Video; Release date: 2009-01-13; Blu-ray
Best price: $6.80
Price in other shops: $19.98
Drive (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] ImageDrive (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]
Sony; Release date: 2012-01-31; Blu-ray
Best price: $16.47
Price in other shops: $30.99
Eastern Promises [Blu-ray] ImageEastern Promises [Blu-ray]
Eastern; Release date: 2008-10-14; Blu-ray
Best price: $6.95
Price in other shops: $19.98
Books | VHS Video | Music CDs | Health and Personal Care | Digital Cameras and Photo | Kitchen and Housewares | Tools and Hardware | Sports Equipment | Dresses shirts shoes apparel pants
Copyright © 2004-2007 dvd-hills.com
Google
 
Web dvd-hills.com
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners