- A History of Violence
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For other uses, see A History of Violence (disambiguation).
A History of Violence
Theatrical release posterDirected by David Cronenberg Produced by Chris Bender
J.C. Spink
Toby Emmerich
Kent Alterman
Cale Boyter
Josh Braun
Justis Greene
Roger KassScreenplay by Josh Olson Based on - A History of Violence by
- John Wagner
- Vince Locke
Starring Viggo Mortensen
Maria Bello
Ed Harris
William HurtMusic by Howard Shore Cinematography Peter Suschitzky Editing by Ronald Sanders Studio New Line Productions
BenderSpink
Media I! Filmproduktion München & CompanyDistributed by New Line Cinema Release date(s) May 16, 2005 (Cannes Film Festival)
September 23, 2005 (United States)Running time 96 minutes Country United States
GermanyLanguage English Budget $32 million[1] Box office $60,740,827[2] A History of Violence is a 2005 American crime thriller film directed by David Cronenberg and written by Josh Olson. It is an adaptation of the 1997 graphic novel of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The film stars Viggo Mortensen as the owner of a diner who is thrust into the spotlight after killing two robbers in self-defense.
The film was put into limited release in the United States on September 23, 2005, and wide-release on September 30, 2005. It is notable for its distinction of being the final major Hollywood motion picture released on VHS.[3]
William Hurt was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, while Josh Olson was nominated for Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).
Contents
Plot
Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is a local restaurant owner in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana. One night two men attempt to kill one of the employees and rob the restaurant. Tom deftly kills both robbers, and his actions make him an overnight celebrity. He is soon visited by scarred gangster Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) who alleges that Tom is actually a gangster named Joey Cusack, who used to run with him in the local Irish Mob in Philadelphia. Tom denies these accusations and claims he has never been to Philadelphia, but Fogarty continues to stalk the Stall family. Under pressure from Fogarty and his newfound fame, Tom's relationships with his wife Edie (Maria Bello), teenage son Jack (Ashton Holmes), and young daughter Sarah (Heidi Hayes) become strained.
After an argument with Tom over the use of violence, Jack runs off and is caught by Fogarty. With Jack as his hostage, Fogarty and his men go to the Stall house and demand that "Joey" return with them to Philadelphia. Tom kills Fogarty's men with the same precision he used against the robbers, while Jack kills Fogarty with a shotgun in defense of his father. At the hospital, Tom shocks Edie by admitting that he is actually Joey Cusack, and that he ran away from Philadelphia to escape his criminal past and start a new life. This furthers the tensions in their marriage, and after an argument they have violent sex.
Tom receives a call from his brother Richie Cusack (William Hurt), who also demands his return to Philadelphia. After traveling to Philadelphia and confronting his brother, Tom learns that the other mobsters whom he had offended in Philadelphia took out their frustrations on Richie, preventing him from moving up in the criminal organization. Tom offers to make peace, but Richie orders his men to kill him. Tom defends himself and kills Richie and the guards.
Tom returns home, but the atmosphere is tense and silent as the Stalls sit around the dinner table. The fate of his marriage and the future of his life as Tom Stall is uncertain, but Jack and Sarah indicate their acceptance of their father by setting a plate for him and passing him some food.
Cast
- Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall / Joey Cusack
- Maria Bello as Edie Stall
- Ed Harris as Carl Fogarty
- William Hurt as Richie Cusack
- Ashton Holmes as Jack Stall
- Peter MacNeill as Sheriff Sam Carney
- Stephen McHattie as Leland Jones
- Greg Bryk as Billy Orser
- Kyle Schmid as Bobby
- Sumela Kay as Judy Danvers
- Gerry Quigley as Mick
- Deborah Drakeford as Charlotte
- Heidi Hayes as Sarah Stall
- Aidan Devine as Charles "Charlie" Roarke
- Bill McDonald as Frank Mulligan
- Michelle McCree as Jenny Wyeth
- Ian Matthews as Ruben
- R.D. Reid as Pat
Production
Most of the film was shot in Millbrook, Ontario, and the climactic scene was shot at the historic Eaton Hall Mansion, located in King City, Ontario, Canada.[4]
Alternate versions
The U.S. and European versions differ on only two fight scenes: one where Tom breaks the nose of one of Fogarty's thugs and one where he stomps on the throat of one of Richie Cusack's thugs. Both scenes display more blood flowing or gushing out of the victims on the European version. In addition, a more pronounced bone-crushing sound effect is used when Tom stomps on the thug's throat.[5]
A deleted scene, known as "Scene 44", features a dream sequence in the diner, where Fogarty tells Tom he will kill him and his family; to which Tom responds by shooting him with his shotgun at close range. He then approaches Fogarty's lifeless and mangled body which suddenly raises its head, pulls a gun and shoots him.[6]
Adaptation
The film is loosely based on the original graphic novel. Screenwriter Josh Olson intended from the very beginning to use the original story as a springboard to explore the themes that interested him, and Cronenberg admitted that he did not know the screenplay was an adapted work until he had begun discussing Olson's second draft. The diner scene that sets the story in motion is nearly identical, and the basic cast of characters remains largely unchanged. The particulars of the plot are very different, especially as the story progresses.[citation needed]
The protagonist's name is changed from Tom McKenna to Tom Stall; John Torrino becomes Carl Fogarty, Tom's son Buzz becomes Jack, his daughter Ellie becomes Sarah, and Sheriff Carney's first name changes from Frank to Sam. The town in which the story takes place is changed from River's Bend, Michigan to Millbrook, Indiana, and the origin of the mobsters is changed from Brooklyn to Philadelphia. According to the German press kit, David Cronenberg and screenwriter Josh Olson changed the Italian-sounding names because they did not want the audience to anticipate Tom's mob ties too early in the film[citation needed]. In the film's audio commentary, Cronenberg says that Joey and Richie were Italian in Olson's screenplay, which he changed to the Irish surname Cusack, because Viggo Mortensen and William Hurt would not make convincing Italians, and he wanted to keep the film away from "the Sopranos Syndrome."[citation needed]
Much of the story of the graphic novel is a lengthy flashback detailing Tom's falling out with the mob. While the film is completely sequential and makes a brief and vague allusion to the trouble Tom caused as mob member, the graphic novel details at length a heist perpetrated by Tom against the mob. Olson opted to focus on Tom's struggles against his past and his relationship with his family, largely to the exclusion of the details of his falling out with his brother and the Mob.[citation needed]
The most profound alterations of the original novel's plot concern the character of Richie and his fate. In the comic book, he and Tom are childhood friends; while in the film they are brothers (they were not brothers in Olson's original screenplay; Cronenberg changed them to brothers to give their relationship more resonance).[citation needed] In the novel, Richie is captured by mobsters and mutilated after the incident that sends Tom on the lam: Richie's limbs are cut off and his eye taken out, yet he is still kept alive to be suspended from the ceiling in a harness and tortured for years. During the dramatic climax of the graphic novel Tom comes face to face with Richie, and Tom suffocates him in an act of euthanasia. In the film, Richie is depicted as Tom's brother; he is a mob boss who tries to have Tom killed. However, Tom ultimately overcomes Richie's henchmen, and subsequently kills his brother.
While in the comic, Tom's family is supportive and completely understanding, the film depicts his family struggling with the startling truth about Tom. The lengthy subplot concerning his son Jack turning to violence after his father's example does not exist in the comic, nor does the emotionally charged fight (and subsequent rough sex on the stairs) between Tom and Edie. In the comic, Edie shoots Torrino, and in the film, Jack shoots Fogarty. The comic concludes with Tom violently defeating the mobsters that haunted him, whereas the film ends with Tom's silent return to his family, a change that drastically shifts the tone of the film towards a more familial focus.
Interpretation
The film's title plays on multiple levels of meaning. Film critic Roger Ebert says that David Cronenberg refers to three possibilities:
- (1) to a suspect with a long history of violence; (2) to the historical use of violence as a means of settling disputes, and (3) to the innate violence of Darwinian evolution, in which better-adapted organisms replace those less able to cope. "I am a complete Darwinian," says Cronenberg, whose new film is in many ways about the survival of the fittest—at all costs.[7]
Cronenberg did not come up with the title, however; that distinction belongs to John Wagner.
Thematic similarities between the film and the works of Sam Peckinpah have been much commented on: in an interview, Cronenberg did not deny this but also emphasized that there were significant differences in terms of both plot and style.[citation needed] Olson has acknowledged the debt the film pays to Peckinpah, especially the film Straw Dogs. He has also cited David Peoples' and Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven (there is a sly reference to pig farming by William Hurt's character) and the 1947 Jacques Tourneur thriller, Out of the Past.[citation needed]
Release
A History of Violence premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2005, and was released in the United States on September 30 following a successful limited release on September 23, 2005. It also holds the distinction to be the last major film to be commercially released in the VHS format.
Box office
The film started with a limited release in 14 theaters and grossed $515,992 at the box office, averaging $36,856 per theater. A week later, it went on a wide release in 1,340 theaters and grossed $8,103,077 in its opening weekend. During its entire theatrical run, the film grossed $31,504,633 in the United States and $60,334,064 worldwide.[1]
Critical reception
The film was received very positively by critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes claims 87% of critics have given the film positive reviews (based on 201 reviews).[8] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 37 reviews.[9] It was ranked the best film of 2005 in the Village Voice Film Poll.[10] Empire named the film the 448th greatest film of all-time.[11]
Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers gave the film four stars, highlighting its "explosive power and subversive wit", and lauded David Cronenberg as a "world-class director, at the top of his startlingly creative form".[12] Entertainment Weekly reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the film an A, concluding that "David Cronenberg's brilliant movie" was "without a doubt one of the very best of the year".[13] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called the film a "mindblower", and noted Mr. Cronenberg's "refusal to let us indulge in movie violence without paying a price".[14] Roger Ebert also gave the film a very positive review, observing that "A History of Violence seems deceptively straightforward, coming from a director with Cronenberg's quirky complexity. But think again. This is not a movie about plot, but about character." He gave it 3 and a half stars (out of 4).[7]
In his list of best films of the decade, Peter Travers named this #4, praising director David Cronenberg:
Is Canadian director David Cronenberg the most unsung maverick artist in movies? Bet on it... Cronenberg knows violence is wired into our DNA. His film showed how we secretly crave what we publicly condemn. This is potent poison for a thriller, and unadulterated, unforgettable Cronenberg.[15]
Awards and nominations
- Won
- Danish Film Critics Association (Bodil Award)
- Best American Picture
- Hollywood Legacy Awards
- Writer of the Year (Josh Olson)
- 12th Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards
- Top Ten Films – #8
- 40th Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
- Best Supporting Actress (Maria Bello)
- 31st Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
- Best Supporting Actor (William Hurt)
- 40th National Society of Film Critics Awards
- Best Director (David Cronenberg)
- Best Supporting Actor (Ed Harris)
- 71st New York Film Critics Circle Awards
- Best Supporting Actor (William Hurt)
- Best Supporting Actress (Maria Bello)
- 9th Online Film Critics Society Awards
- Best Director (David Cronenberg)
- Best Picture
- Best Supporting Actress (Maria Bello)
- 10th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
- Best Editing (Ronald Sanders)
- 9th Toronto Film Critics Association Awards
- Best Director (David Cronenberg)
- Best Picture
- Village Voice Film Poll
- Best Picture
- Best Director (David Cronenberg)
- 7th Best Lead Performance (Viggo Mortensen)
- Best Supporting Performance (Maria Bello)
- 5th Best Supporting Performance (William Hurt)
- 7th Best Supporting Performance (Ed Harris)
- 3rd Best Screenplay (Josh Olson)
- Nominations
- 78th Academy Awards
- Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (Josh Olson)
- Best Supporting Actor (William Hurt) – while his role was acclaimed, Hurt was only in the film for eight minutes.
- 59th British Academy Film Awards
- Adapted Screenplay (Josh Olson)
- Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards
- Best Motion Picture Screen Play (Josh Olson)
- USC Scripter Awards
- John Wagner and Vince Locke (authors) and Josh Olson (screenwriter)
- 2005 Cannes Film Festival
- Golden Palm (David Cronenberg)[16]
- 63rd Golden Globe Awards
- Best Picture – Drama
- Best Actress – Drama (Maria Bello)
- Gotham Awards
- Best Film (David Cronenberg)
- 31st Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
- Best Picture
- Best Director (David Cronenberg)
- 9th Online Film Critics Society Awards
- Best Editing (Ronald Sanders)
- Best Screenplay – Adapted (Josh Olson)
- Best Supporting Actor (William Hurt)
- 10th Satellite Awards
- Best Picture – Drama
- Best Actor – Drama (Viggo Mortensen)
- Best Supporting Actress – Drama (Maria Bello)
- 58th Writers Guild of America Awards
- Best Screenplay – Adapted (Josh Olson)
The film was also nominated for AFI's Top 10 Gangster Films list.[17]
See also
References
- ^ a b "A History of Violence (2005) – Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=historyofviolence.htm. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ "A History of Violence (2005)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=historyofviolence.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
- ^ "Citypaper.com article". Citypaper.com article. http://citypaper.com/film/story.asp?id=13351. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
- ^ Newswire article
- ^ A History of Violence DVD Extra: U.S. vs. European
- ^ A History of Violence DVD Extra: Scene 44
- ^ a b "A History of Violence::rogerebert.com::Reviews". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050922/REVIEWS/50919002/1023. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ "A History of Violence – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/history_of_violence/. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
- ^ "History of Violence, A (2005): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/historyofviolence. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ village voice > take 7 film critics' poll
- ^ "Empireonline". Empireonline. http://www.empireonline.com/500/10.asp. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
- ^ "A History of Violence Review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/a-history-of-violence-20050930. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- ^ "A History of Violence - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1110769,00.html. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (September 23, 2005). "Movie Review - A History of Violence - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/movies/23viol.html. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ "A History of Violence (2005)". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/10-best-movies-of-the-decade-19691231/a-history-of-violence-19691231. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: A History of Violence". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4277356/year/2005.html. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
- ^ AFI's 10 Top 10 Ballot
External links
- Official website
- A History of Violence at the Internet Movie Database
- A History of Violence at AllRovi
- A History of Violence at Box Office Mojo
- A History of Violence at Rotten Tomatoes
- A History of Violence at Metacritic
Live-action films based on DC Comics Serials Single films Steel • Road to Perdition • The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen • Catwoman • Constantine • A History of Violence • V for Vendetta • Stardust • The Spirit • Watchmen • The Losers • Jonah Hex • Red • Green LanternFilm franchises Batman 1966 1989 2005 Superman 1951 1978 Superman • Superman II (The Richard Donner Cut) • Superman III • Supergirl • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace • Superman Returns2013 Swamp Thing Films directed by David Cronenberg 1960s Stereo (1969)1970s Crimes of the Future (1970) · Shivers (1975) · Rabid (1977) · Fast Company (1979) · The Brood (1979)1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Categories:- 2005 films
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