DVD Review HTF REVIEW: A History of Violence (Highly Recommended) (2 Viewers)

[TonyD]

he acted on instinct.

 

[Matt Stone]

That's exactly how I felt, Tony.

He tried to avoid the transformation, but was unable to. As he said, he thought Joey was dead.

 

[Chris Tedesco]

Great movie!!!

 

[T r o y]

Watched AHOV the other night and really enjoyed it. One of the better movies I've seen in quite some time.
I really appeciate movies like this that shows violence as real as it can get within a movie. No buttered down violence but realistic type action/gunshot / fight scenes.
And this movie depicts this very well.

I rented it through Netflix but am considering buying it once it hits high def DVD.
I was hoping it would have a DTS track being a New LIne film but I thought the DD track was amazing nonetheless.
The gunshots and punches to faces had a huge impact. I was hurtin just watchin it.

Great acting, story, action sequences, direction , etc. Highly recommend this flick to all.

Enjoy!
Troy

 

[Scott McGillivray]

Gee...I guess I am in the minority here. I watched it last night and was left scratching my head. The story started out really good. I thought Ed Harris was very good and creepy. There were just too many odd scenes. They had these long, drawn out stares going on...I just kept waiting for someone to yell "Cut!"

I also thought, oddly enough, that the extended sex scenes really did nothing for the film. He really seemed to want to hammer the point home that they loved each other. There were several scenes showcasing their love. Okay, I get it, now please move on.

I also thought that the family really turned on him quickly and harshly. I saw it as rather out of character that this "loving" family would turn on him so quickly rather than talk about it and learn more about his real past and struggles. Instead it was just a quick about-face and screw you dad/hubby. Again, it just stood out to me as odd.

Then there is the ending. Another long, drawn out slow as hell scene that I am sure everyone understood (nothing will be the same in the family, but love will pull them through)about half way through yet it just kept going on until...credits. Ugh.

Overall, I was disappointed with this film despite its great cast and super director.

 

[John Macri]

My feelings mirror Scott's. My wife and I eagerly anticipated the film and up until the wife's hospital visit following the front-yard shootout, we were "caught up" in the drama. From this point on we found the family's behavior unrealistic and contrived.

 

[Timothy Alexander]

This was such an awesome movie, don't know why I skipped it in the theaters. The ending was perfect...what else was there to be said honestly?

I would love to see a movie based on the "Joey" character. Two hours of Viggo as a cold blooded assassin would be awesome.

 

[Nathan V]

This is one of two or three 2005 films that I felt were absolutely 100% note perfect. The layers in the screenplay put me on the floor. And it's economical as hell! Somebody (Kent Jones? Amy Taubin?) was saying this should replace Chinatown as the new screenwriting model, and I'm tempted to agree. During the very last shot, I was thinking to myself, "it would be perfect it the movie ended right...now!" And it cut to black at that precise moment. It's rare that I'm in tune with a film THAT closely, esp. on first viewing.

The middling reception this film seems to be getting by those who missed it in theatres reminds me of the Lost in Translation reception, which if I recall was just about identical. Roger Ebert even wrote about this phenomenon somewhere.

Regards,
Nathan

 

[ted:r]

I watched the DVD last night and was blown away by it. It was unbelievably tense throughout. Extremely well acted by all.

One thing I noticed was the length. Only about 1:36. When so many films are filled with blubber, this cuts directly to the bone, without a wasted second.

About the violence: It has always puzzled me why people say Cronenberg is the King of Gore or such. I find his violence to be well-integrated into the story, not gratuitous. Also, it (seems) more realistic than most films, where someone gets hit 50 times and still gets up (I'd be out for the count on punch 1.)

Overall, the best film I've yet seen from 2006.

 

[Paul McElligott]

I can see how most wives would be so understanding about that. :rolleyes

The family's reaction was perfectly believable, IMO.

 

[MatS]

here we go again
2005

 

[Adam_S]

And the son was dealing with his own issues, which his parents knew little enough details about, that caused him to blow up at his Dad in a way his dad wasn't expecting. The son seemed to be looking for guidance, reassurance, forgiveness, and maybe some sort of stern slap on the wrist (or line in the sand) and all he got was criticism and apathy. That seemed to be really unexpected for him, coming from his Dad, but the son didn't know how caught up internally his Dad was in trying to remain himself (and keep Joey dead) and so he couldn't help his son.

All of that family melodrama felt like a perfectly natural and beautifully written progression of their relationship, to me.

 

[ted:r]

:b

Oooopsss!!! Well, it was the best film I have seen out of the 2005 releases. And it is one of the best films I have seen in calendar year 2006!

 

[Harold Wazzu]

I must say I did really enjoy Ed Harris...

 

[RogerH]

I just watched this one last week. I thought it was going to be good but I didn't expect it to be this good. One of my favorites I've seen in awhile.

 

[Ron-P]

I rented this and really enjoyed it. Good cast, good acting, decent storyline. A solid film.

 

[Tim Glover]

Rented this yesterday myself. Very good movie...certainly a gritty, difficult and brutal film that is at times uncomfortable to sit through.

Well acted, well directed too.

I'll post some in the official discussion thread...but I thought the images from the Cannes Festival looked more alive than the film presentation. The film looked good but check out the final shot from Cannes and then compare the dvd.

Kind of strange seeing Viggo kiss Cronenburg on the lips twice. Maybe they're just close buds. :b I kept screaming..."NOT ARAGORN!" :b

 

[Dan Hitchman]

A decent flick that could have been better if the director hadn't kept up the "I'm only doing this commercial movie because they paid me" attitude during production. This is what kept Francis Ford Copolla's more recent films from being truly great as well.

The Fly is still my favorite Cronenberg film. It's creepy fun and Jeff Goldblum is fantastic.

I too was disappointed that they didn't have more of the Ed Harris character because I thought he was a much more terrifying and interesting sort than Hurt's.

Dan

 

[Holadem]

Huh? How do you know this?!

--
H

 

[Dan Hitchman]

It was discussed in various trade magazines, and he had publically stated this wasn't his favorite film to work on. Cronenberg is an odd duck. He usually only does films that HE wants to do, or has a great interest in. This was a "For Hire" assignment, so his displeasure was known. Even in the mini documentary (fluff piece) about going to Cannes with AHOV the screenwriter made a quip about Cronenberg assisting to make it better.