** (out of ****)
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, and William Hurt
Directed by David Cronenberg
2005
96 min R
I liked “A History of Violence” the first time I saw it…when it was called “Shane.”
You remember “Shane,” don’t you? In many ways it’s the quintessential Western, telling of how civilization is built by violent men, represented by the ex-gunfighter Shane (played by Alan Ladd). Once he’s vanquished the really, really violent men (represented by Jack Palance) and made the land safe for schoolmarms, doe-eyed urchins, and old biddies, he is no longer welcome in civilization. (Or does he die? For more of this debate, watch “The Negotiator.”) Frontier wives, as much as they bad talk these violent men, are drawn to them because they would make such ferocious protectors and providers, and because their physical prowess displays good genes.
“A History of Violence” moves this theme into a rather trite “honest-husband-who-reveals-that-he-once-was-a-mob-killer” mould. Set in a generic “small town U.S.A.” small town that might be considered an exaggeration if it weren’t so bland, Viggo Mortensen (“Lord of the Rings”) kills two burglars when they try to rob his diner. Hailed as a hero by the Honest Townsfolk he rescues, he draws the intention of several mobsters from the Big City, who claim that he is one of them long disappeared.
All that “A History of Violence” has going for it that hasn’t already been covered by a dozen other movies in the half-century since “Shane” is the scene in which Viggo’s wife (Maria Bello) watches him waste three more bad guys on the front lawn. Actually, it’s a few scenes after that that the interesting bit happens: she’s shrieking at him, punching him, and then he throws her down on the stairs and they have the best sex ever. Why is it so good? Because he has shown to what animal lengths he will protect his family. He has also proved his alpha male status by successfully butting heads with three other rams. His seed is the purest.
“A History of Violence” is based on a comic book, has the bizarre writing of a comic book, and features the shallow caricatures of a comic book, but without the look of a comic book. It needs to look like “Sin City” or “Dick Tracy.” Instead, “History” has a uniformly bland look to it, as if the writing were something so fantastic and original (which it isn’t) that it requires our attention so completely that we can’t be distracted by any visual business. Really, we’re an hour in before we’re told whether or not Viggo is a killer or not, which we already knew from seeing the trailer. “Sin City” could have crammed this entire movie into 45 minutes. Somehow I imagine the graphic novel upon which “History” is based is more interesting to look at. Director David Cronenberg gives his small town a David Lynch-lite flavor to it, but not enough of one to be interesting.
Because Cronenberg (“eXistenZ,” “The Fly,” “Naked Lunch”) is a talented director, isolated scenes of “History” are good, if not ever brilliant. Cronenberg has always had a fascination with gaping wounds and spurting blood, and he handles this well. Viggo is the best killer in the world only because no one thinks to kill him from more than a yard away, which is kind of stupid. Viggo is too superhuman and unstoppable for the scenes to be gritty; we can predict the outcome before they start, so they can’t be suspenseful; and they aren’t dynamic enough to be the stuff of good comic books. For what they are, the actions scenes are effectively executed. But if he’s going to be an absurdly proficient killing machine, can’t it at least be entertaining like “Desperado?”
As villains, Ed Harris leaves teeth marks on the scenery and William Hurt has a walk-on at the end as a gangster, which is great in how ridiculous it is. I wish more of the movie were like him. And that’s what’s baffling about “A History of Violence:” why does Cronenberg give this exaggerated material such a dull flatness? His goofy video game jaunt “eXistenZ” has the perfect tone, not just for it, but for this movie as well (“excuse me, Chinese Waiter…”). Other critics are eating “A History of Violence” up but, to me, it’s a whole lotta nothing. See “The New World” instead.
Finished Tuesday, January 24th, 2006
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