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| Value for Money | 6.7/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 6/10 |
By Boycott
on 3rd Oct 2005
| Starring Actor/Actress | Viggo Mortenso, Maria Bello & Ed Harris |
|---|---|
| Where Did You See It? | Cinema |
| Value for money | 10/10 |
| Overall value | 8/10 |
 Boycott's recommendation | |
Viggo Mortenson, Maria Bello and Ed Harris are all superb.
Some cracking violence.
The final third of the film slightly below par (when compared to the high standards of the rest of it).
Wlliam Hurt - Couldn't take him seriously, however he did supply the films rare glimpses of comedy.
I caught A History of Violence on Friday night, and I have to say I enjoyed this graphic and violent picture. The star is Viggo Mortenson, better known as the Mighty Aragon from the Lord of The Rings trilogy, he plays the role of family man Tom Stall whose life is turned upside down following a botched heist at his cafe. Tom has it all, decent family man, plush country pad in a sleepy village and his own small business. However, all this is threatened following the attempted robbery at his cafe.
This film is an 18 certificate, and with good reason, it is fairly violent in places and there are also a few sex scenes, one particularly being quite disturbing depending on how you perceive it. There is also the added bonus of seeing Maria Bello in the buff, which is another reason why this film is definitely not for kids. Bello plays Edie Stall the wife of Tom and she, in my opinion is a really good foil for Mortenson, more than matching his intensity in many a scene.
It would be unfair to write a review of this film and not mention the formidable Ed Harris. He was born to play the part of Philadelphia mobster Carl Foggarty, both deranged in personality and deformed in apperance. When trying to think of an adjective to describe Harris, the one that best springs to mind is simply menacing. The triple thronged attraction of Viggo, Bello and Harris is reason alone to check out this movie.
So where are the negatives I hear you cry? Well, in my humblest opinion, the first 2 thirds of this film are electric, however the final third seemed somewhat rushed and a little bit forced as it deterred away from the main plot. I know some other people also didn't 'get' the final scene, I did 'get it' and thought it was done well, however I may be in the minority there! There are also brief moments of comedy in this film that successfully got a laugh out of the audience to give the viewers a touch of light relief following all the doom and gloom.
I would certainly recommend this violent thriller, but remember it is at times very graphic, so I would only advise you to check it out if you've got the stomach for it!
| Helpful | Unhelpful | Agree | Disagree |
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Total Respect: +1
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