A History of Violence 2005

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Right from its first, quietly unnerving scene A History of Violence is unmistakably the work of an artist with a purpose. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: The less you know about this movie before seeing it -- and you really should see it -- the better. Read more

Allison Benedikt, Chicago Tribune: Cronenberg crafts a remarkably interesting thriller, with suspense that is less about what's coming around the corner--often, we know--and more about Tom's slow transformation in the face of terror. Read more

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. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Despite the blood, the film follows Cronenberg's marvelous Spider in finding its true horror in the dark corners of the mind. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: This is his most mainstream effort yet, but, he's got those Croneneberg touches of violence. It doesn't glorify the violence, it's not gratuitous, it's sudden, it's shocking. Read more

Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A model of clean, lean storytelling. Read more

Keith Phipps, AV Club: The film keeps finding the violent underpinnings of everyday life wherever it looks, from the if-it-bleeds-it-leads news coverage that makes Mortensen a local hero, to the social structure of Holmes' high school. Read more

Bill Muller, Arizona Republic: It's rare to find a filmmaker who can deliver such a message and keep us riveted every minute of screen time. But Cronenberg manages it, making A History of Violence one of his best, and most realistic, films ever. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: The movie's brilliance resides in its use of cinematic convention to shatter an illusion of social normalcy. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A gripping, incendiary, casually subversive piece of work that marries pulp watchability with larger concerns without skipping a beat. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: Cronenberg isn't engaging in parody or irony. Nor is he nihilistically pandering to our worst impulses: the filmmaking is too measured and too intelligent. He implicitly respects us and our responses, even when those responses are silly or disturbing. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: [A] vigorously sublime take on guilt and innocence, the damned and the redeemed. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: There's not a scene wasted in the 97-minute unspooling, not a detour that doesn't tell, surprise, horrify, delight. Read more

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: A History of Violence is shrewd, penetrating and, yes, entertaining. It's also one of the best films of the year. Read more

Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly: It's possible to imagine the film playing as an action crowd-pleaser to a mainstream genre audience that may not be a bit perturbed by (or even aware of) Cronenberg's stealthy unraveling of the threads of this American life. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: With confidence and authority that should cement his leading-man status, Mortensen ably manipulates the tension of a man who's struggling to escape his past as a professional killer and to protect his family from the consequences of his legacy. Read more

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. Read more

Ken Tucker, New York Magazine/Vulture: A remarkably convincing examination of heroism, hero worship, and the seductive allure of villainy. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: As a history of Cronenberg, it's a good introductory lecture, detailing his careful composition, mastery of unease and complicated thematic interests. As a Cronenberg film though, it's figuratively bloodless, without any real body to it at all. Read more

Jami Bernard, New York Daily News: A lot is going on in David Cronenberg's masterful A History of Violence, and you'll miss it if you blink. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: Mr. Cronenberg has imbued his narrative with a style of personal conviction that is found in only the greatest auteurs. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: David Cronenberg's adaptation of the underwritten graphic novel of the same name is a spare, mean movie of shocking violence and wrenching moral dilemmas. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: As the title indicates, this is not a sedate art film. It contains moments of sharp, vicious mayhem and there is a body count. But the strength of the movie lies in its psychological complexity and depth. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: This is not a movie about plot, but about character. It is about how people turn out the way they do, and about whether the world sometimes functions like a fool's paradise. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Although the movie maintains, and benefits from, the bare bones of a straight-up action story, what emerges onscreen is deeper and more interesting. Read more

David Edelstein, Slate: An absolutely sensational piece of filmmaking. Read more

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The first half of the story -- the one shrouded in doubt -- is much more effective than the second half, which is shrouded in bloodletting. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Cronenberg, like Count Basie on the piano or Hemingway on the page, has mastered the art of economy, paring down his work to its thematic essentials without any loss, and even some gain, in textured complexity. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: It is an assured, potent statement from an auteur who isn't afraid to pack deep thoughts into a movie made for a wide audience. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: Though this is certainly Cronenberg's most 'mainstream' movie in years, the fact that it's so immediately enjoyable as a terrific thriller does not diminish its less obvious virtues. Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: Violence is in the spirit of the hardest-hitting film noir offerings from the '50s, but far more explicit. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: Coming from Cronenberg, the question arises: Is that all there is? Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: Cronenberg's movie manages to have its cake and eat it -- impersonating an action flick in its staccato mayhem while questioning these violent attractions every step of the way. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Packed inside David Cronenberg's latest film, which presents itself as gift-wrapped, shoot-'em-up entertainment, is a sobering reflection on our culture's attitude toward violence. Read more