|
A
History of Violence Movie Review
As the leading man in
this movie, Viggo Mortensen proves he is one of today’s versatile
actors. From his earlier
roles, to Aragorn, to a century-ago cowboy, to now as a small town family
man with a past, he has illustrated his ability to stretch farther into
what my second son always says, “imagination.”
Where can you find
these crucial scenes where Viggo shines? The action sequence when Tom confronts Fogarty on the front lawn. I was convinced.
Another—when he
arrives at the bar in Philadelphia and sits down—briefly, his face
changes to an expression he would have had in the past. Thanks to the director’s close-ups and there are many in this
movie.
These two scenes are
crucial because they make the transition from his two selves.
The
movie is also rich in artistic details, the fun things to look for in a
movie.
The quartet of
Mortensen, Bello, Harris and Hurt tighten this movie. All do an excellent job. Harris
and Hurt, who are usually the nice guys, are convincing as the bad guys,
to the point that it is funny when the super rich cold bad guy finds
himself in a “losing” position at the end while searching through his
keys. Lastly, the character
of Bello basically asks a lot of questions.
Cronenberg talks about
the “iconic Americana” (or the world, for that matter) and how in the
big picture of connected things, this has “A History of Violence.” Viggo’s character is a representation of this.
This can be considered
“dark,” but the last scene shows a desire to move away from it.
Go see this movie!
|
