A History of Violence 4K 2005 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

Two bandits are traveling through the American province, leaving behind numerous corpses. One day they find themselves in the quiet town of Millbrook, Indiana. In this town lives Tom Stoll, a respected owner of a small diner, and his family - his wife Edie and two children, Jack and Sarah. During an attempted armed robbery of his diner, Tom Stoll kills the bandits and becomes a local hero, with television coverage of his exploits. The next day, mysterious people appear in Millbrook, who for some reason call Tom by the name of Joey and ask him about Philadelphia.

Review 4K Movie

In the modest town of Millbrook, Indiana, two visiting gangsters attempt to rob a café but are killed by its owner, Tom Stall, after wounding him. An ordinary man with a wife, children, and his own café becomes a hero, his name appearing in all the news. As soon as Tom returns to work from the hospital, several suspicious characters visit the cafe, convinced that Tom is actually the killer Joey Cusack...

To be honest, ‘A History of Violence’ is not David Cronenberg's best film. The plot is a rather banal thriller about a fighter who is forced to relive his past. And there isn't that much violence in the title, although everything is quite bloody and lively, and the few action scenes are well staged. The characters are also pretty average: a simple family man, his somewhat nervous but loving wife, his teenage son who gets into fights at school, his little daughter, a couple of charismatic but operatic gangsters... But the acting saves the day. Viggo Mortensen, who looks nothing like Aragorn here, does an excellent job playing a seemingly unremarkable, simple man with a closet full of skeletons. Ed Harris' charisma pulls out all the operetta in his character. Less was required of the others, but they also play their parts well. It is impossible to make a high-quality psychological thriller without good acting, and Justified Violence has no problems in this regard.

The psychological aspect is also well done: the suffering of a man who has run away from his past is shown in detail and vividly. Tom has long since left behind guns, blood, and unpleasant types in suits, but his past has found him. He has to fight back—for the sake of his family, for the sake of a peaceful life. That is why his cruelty is justified—he no longer wants to be involved with this filth, he wants to bury his past self once and for all. The main thing in the film is not the dark past, not the blood, and not the gangster showdowns. Much more important is how the hero's relationships with his family and friends will develop now. Will they be able to accept him now? This is the main intrigue.

Unfortunately, this does not save the film from its overall dullness. At times it is too sluggish and drawn out (despite its short running time). There are no unnecessary scenes, and the gloomy atmosphere, especially towards the end, works as it should, but still...

Cronenberg has once again proven that he knows how to make a good film: even with a fairly mediocre plot, he got everything he could out of the material and created a solid and watchable thriller. It's definitely worth watching, if only for Viggo Mortensen.