Did
you really think Viggo Mortensen would sit idly by and let himself
be remembered as Aragorn for the rest of his life?
With A History of Violence, Mortensen has effectively
obliterated any chance of being typecast as The Strong, Silent
Guy on The Horse, which is exactly what he was becoming after
doing Hildalgo and the upcoming Alatriste. In
Violence, Mortensen's formidable range is fully utilized,
as he plays well-liked small-town husband and father Tom Stall.
On the surface, Stall is an even-tempered diner owner, who's only
problems are teaching his son (Ashton Holmes) to deal with the
school bully and servicing his wife (Mario Bello) regularly. But,
there is something about him that's just a bit off. He's too nice.
He tries too hard not to get upset about things. But, that soon
changes when two dirtbags--on a robbery spree across the Midwest--come
to town. They decide to step in Stall's diner to pick up some
extra cash, and they never leave...BECAUSE THEY GET FUCKED UP!!!
GODDAMN!!! VIGGO KILLED THEM NIGGAS FAST AS FUCK!!! TOM STALL,
NIGGAS!!! TOM STALL! HE KILLED PEOPLE FOR A LIVING! YOU AIN'T
KNOW THAT, DID YA?!?!?!? NOW, LOOK AT YOUR DUMB ASSES!! YOU IS
DEAD, SUCKAS!!! DEAD!!! TALK THAT SHIT NOW!!! WHAT?!?!?!? T. STALL,
Y'ALL!
Viggo Mortensen is going to get an Oscar nomination for this movie.
If he doesn't, I promise to publish all the hate mail I receive
and happily admit that most of it is completely justified.
Stall's heroics become national news and his former existence
as a contract killer finally catches up to him. His old friends
in the Philly Mafia recognize him from the news and they come
to find him to rectify some dirt he did many moons ago. But, Tommy
Dawg got a wife and kids. It's about them now. He's not going
out like that. The Great Ed Harris, wearing a cool ass glass eye,
plays Mob heavy Carl Fogarty, who comes to town looking for the
man responsible for taking his eye out with barb wire. Now, you
know ain't nobody took that man eye but Tom. He so damn crazy.
What ensues after the initial confrontation between are some of
the most graphically violent scenes ever filmed, and one very
explicit sex scene. The movie is hot fuckin' FIYA.
I tell ya no lies. There are traces of The Godfather, Die
Hard, Every Mel Gibson Action Movie and Enter
the Dragon in Violence. It's simply beyond criticism.
It's pretty much perfect. I don't want to give anything away by
discussing it beyond that description.
"If you have the means, I highly recommend seeing this
film."--Ferris