Rent A History of Violence on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the graphic novel (paid link)
Written by: John Wagner and Vince Locke (graphic novel), Josh Olson (screenplay)
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.
Verdict
What I like about this movie is the compact narrative and probing questions it asks. A man has to confront his violent past, one he thought he had buried. Things like that never stay hidden, and with each scene violence surges, straying farther from the image of a peaceful family man. By the end nothing is the same. This is how violence follows you, how it escalates upon provocation. The title has a double meaning, we're looking at Tom's history and also a broad history of how a violent act is never singular. Tom has to confront his past, but in the process he destroys his present. The future is uncertain, but it will never be the same as it was.
Watch It.
Review
The first scene is reserved at first. We don't know who these guys are, but what little we glean it seems they may be bad. These two are the catalyst for the story.
Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) seems like the typical family man with a wife and two kids, living in a small town, and running a diner. The two guys from the first scene show up, and they aren't trying to keep a low profile. It's a plot device, that could have been more nuanced but it also doesn't waste any time. Tom springs to action, and it's clear this isn't the first gun pointed at him nor is this his first fight. It's brutal, and Tom is very efficient.
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| Viggo Mortensen plays Tom Stall |
Tom is praised as a hero, but he doesn't like the spotlight. This attention causes a few mob guys visiting town and claiming Tom is someone else. Tom is adamant he doesn't recognize them, but you begin to wonder if he knows more than he's sharing.
A direct result of Tom's actions is his son forcefully standing up to a bully. That probably wouldn't have happened if Tom hadn't just killed two people. His son feels this pressure to live up to the hype of his hero father. Tom tries to tell his son violence isn't the answer, but it doesn't seem genuine when Tom just killed two guys.
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| Viggo Mortensen plays Tom Stall |
These mobsters won't leave Tom alone, escalating to a confrontation at his home that leaves everyone worse off. The trust is broken. Tom's family don't understand, they've never seen this side of him and this isn't a skill you just pick up. They're forced to keep his secret. Exposing him exposes them all. Everything Tom has built is in jeopardy. He worked for years to put this past behind him, and it comes back in just a few moments. The only way to erase his past and regain his family is to eliminate anyone that knew him, but confronting the past isn't enough. While Tom returns to his family, I don't think things will ever be the same. That's how violence ends. There are no winners, no one is better off.
I've always liked the double interpretation of the title. This is Tom's history of violent acts that follows him, returning after a hiatus. This is Tom's history, his story. It's also a chronicle of violence. One event kicks off this chain reaction that affects everyone nearby. That's how it always starts. Violence propagates and destroys.
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