A History of Violence

88%

Tomatometer

218 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

When a pair of petty criminals attempt to rob his small-town diner, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) quickly and easily kills them both. In the flush of news coverage of Tom's seemingly heroic actions, a threatening stranger named Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) comes to town, fingering the unassuming family man as long-missing Philadelphia mobster Joey Cusack. To the horror of his wife, Edie (Maria Bello), and teenage son, Jack (Ashton Holmes), Tom finds he must confront his violent past. Read More Read Less

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Critics Consensus

A History of Violence raises compelling and thoughtful questions about the nature of violence, while representing a return to form for director David Cronenberg in one of his more uncharacteristic pieces.

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Critics Reviews

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A History of Violence | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Christy Lemire

Associated Press

The less you know about this movie before seeing it -- and you really should see it -- the better.

Apr 15, 2013

Full Review

A History of Violence | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

David Denby

New Yorker

Cronenberg's direction, mirroring the split in Tom, is alternately measured and frighteningly explosive, and, as always, he gives the movie a nasty underlay of sexual perversity.

Apr 15, 2013

Full Review

A History of Violence | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

This peculiarly predictable picture has been calculated, or miscalculated, to set up certain expectations, fulfill them, and then do the same thing again, thereby giving us a chance to see what's coming and, at least in theory, be shocked.

Apr 15, 2013

Full Review

A History of Violence | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Diane Carson

KDHX (St. Louis)

Cronenberg brilliantly elicits a continuum of emotions, elicits our involvement as well as our reflection. This is an astonishing feat made all the more effective by a complex and subtle performance by Vigo Mortensen...

May 21, 2024

Full Review

A History of Violence | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

In much the same manner that David Lynch deconstructed the myth of the squeaky-clean small Southern town in Blue Velvet, so too does David Cronenberg take a hatchet to the facade of bland Midwestern homeliness in A History of Violence.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 26, 2023

Full Review

A History of Violence | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Graeme Tuckett

Stuff.co.nz

A History of Violence is one of the key films of the first decade of the 21st century.

Jun 7, 2023

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Pam K Too much gratious violence for our tastes. No need for the rough sex. Actually poorly written. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/25/24 Full Review Michael V Tom Stall had the perfect life...until he became a hero.A History of Violence is a 2005 action thriller film directed by David Cronenberg 🔫Not bad, but not my favourite either 😉It’s ok, but I feel mixed about this one 😉I’d recommend it if you like this genre, but if not then probably give it a miss 👍🏼👎🏼An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/20/24 Full Review Donal M So many aspects of this movie failed. Over acted, poorly directed and poor screenplay. Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/17/24 Full Review Jessy J How did this get such a high rating ? I spent 90 minutes waiting for it to get going… it didn’t. Poor dialogue and character development. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/14/24 Full Review Mia P I have honestly never felt the need to write a movie review until tonight. Top score and recommendation on Netflix made me put it on and I kept waiting for it to get better.But that’s 96 mts of my life I am never getting back. Dialogue seems like was written by people on Prozac and for as much as I admire the actors in this movie I was cringing watching the whole thing. Honestly do not know how it got such a high rating. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/12/24 Full Review Tess B Had potential but sadly did not live up to expectations. 90 minutes you wont get back. Poor script, poor dialogue. Dramatic music did not follow the script or characters at all. Terrible movie Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/12/24 Full Review Read all reviews

A History of Violence

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Cast & Crew

David Cronenberg Director Viggo Mortensen Tom Stall Maria Bello Edie Stall William Hurt Richie Cusack Ashton Holmes Jack Stall Stephen McHattie Leland Jones

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