FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: A History Of Violence [DVD] [2005]

A History Of Violence [DVD] [2005]
enlarge	Director: David Cronenberg Actors: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt, Ashton Holmes Studio: Entertainment in Video Category: DVD List Price: ~~£19.99~~ Buy Used: £0.01 as of 23/11/2009 03:22 GMT details You Save: £19.98 (100%) New (28) Used (83) from £0.01 Seller: zoverstocks Rating: 102 reviews Sales Rank: 8264 Format: Anamorphic, PAL Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 96 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5017239193729 ASIN: B000E6TVRS Theatrical Release Date: 2005 Release Date: March 20, 2006 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


Similar Items: Eastern Promises [DVD] Eastern Promises [Blu-ray] [2007] The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada [Blu-ray] [2005] Taking Lives [Blu-ray] [2004] L.A. Confidential [Blu-ray] [1997]


Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review On the surface, David Cronenberg may seem an unlikely candidate to direct iA History of Violence/i, but dig deeper and you'll see that he's the right man for the job. As an intellectual seeker of meaning and an avowed believer in Darwinian survival of the fittest, Cronenberg knows that the story of mild-mannered small-town diner proprietor Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is in fact a multilayered examination of inbred human behavior, beginning when Tom's skillful killing of two would-be robbers draws unwanted attention to his idyllic family life in rural Indiana. He's got a loving wife (Maria Bello) and young daughter (Heidi Hayes) who are about to learn things about Tom they hadn't suspected, and a teenage son (Ashton Holmes) who has inherited his father's most prominent survival trait, manifesting itself in ways he never expected. By the time Tom has come into contact with a scarred villain (Ed Harris) and connections that lead him to a half-crazy kingpin (William ! Hurt, in a spectacular cameo), Cronenberg has plumbed the dark depths of human nature so skillfully that iA History of Violence/i stands well above the graphic novel that inspired it (indeed, Cronenberg was unaware of the source material behind Josh Olson's chilling adaptation). With hard-hitting violence that's as sudden as it is graphically authentic, this is iA History of Violence/i that's worthy of serious study and widespread acclaim. i--Jeff Shannon/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 102 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...21 Next » Great Movie, Great Bluray! March 2, 2009 David Lawson (London) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful If you're not familiar with this David Cronenberg gem, then you are missing out! It has style, substance class performances from all. This new BD transfer is very good, with a very sharp detailed picture vibrant colours inky blacks The DolbyTrueHD soundtrack is always fully immersive given extra depth dimensionality by a great musical score. This comes Highly Recommended! The stand out movie of 2005 January 20, 2006 russell clarke (halifax, west yorks) 34 out of 49 found this review helpful The message that violence begets violence has never been more powerfully represented by cinema than David Cronebergs #8220;A History Of Violence#8221;. Cronenberg has, of course, always been fascinated by violence and the both the social and physical breakdown of humanity but he has never explored the theme as explicitly and well as he does with this film. It#8217;s clear he doesn#8217;t like what he sees and he is asking the audience that maybe enjoying this level of violence , even as a form of voyeuristic entertainment , whether it#8217;s entirely a good thing. A film maker who turns an accusing mirror on his audience#8217;s fascination with his chosen subject#8230;#8230; . Blimey.brTom Stall ( Vigo Mortensen) is the owner of a diner in the tiny town of Millbrook , Indiana and is also happily married to Edie ( Maria Belio) with a teenage son Jack ( Ashton Holmes) and a small daughter Sarah ( Heidi Hayes) Life is pretty much idyllic for this family in that slightly sickening way that is so common in American movies, even those directed by a Canadian with a penchant for the weird. One night two thugs attempt to rob the Diner at closing time and Tom intuitively realising these are guys who will not compromise on getting what they want bravely fights back and despatches both the would be robbers. You feel great at this point because Tom has done what we would all like to do in that situation, not only foiled the robbery but meted out instant and terminal justice. Not surprisingly Tom becomes a celebrity , his Diner is soon packed with people but Tom is reluctant to discuss the event. brLater three more men enter the Diner. They look like trouble and they claim that Tom is in fact called Joey and that he has been lying to everyone about his real identity. Tom answers that they are mistaken, that they have mixed up with someone else. The main man played by Ed Harris asks the question that#8217;s been nagging at us all. #8220;How come he#8217;s so good at killing people?#8221;brWe as movie goers are used to seeing #8220;normal #8220;people react and act out extreme situations in extraordinary ways, so much so that we just accept that that#8217;s the way it is in films. It#8217;s rare for films to question one of the premises that films are so usually based around. #8220;A History Of Violence#8221; is asking us to do that and also posing the conundrum that have we become so inured to violence that we don#8217;t question it ever and maybe even relish it a little. The film is also taking the mythology of the American Western and applying to contemporary America, that here in modern American frontier values still exist and they echo through to the country#8217;s foreign policy.brThis is far and away the best film of 2005. It#8217;s wonderfully paced, the performances are terrific and Cronenberg handles the disparate elements with a sure touch. There are moments of sly humour, a fiendish plot and but mostly it#8217;s tense and electrifying. The violence is visceral and thrilling and that#8217;s the point. Violence often is unless it#8217;s happening to or near you, then it#8217;s something else altogether. And by ending in an opaque, ambiguous way the film is telling us that violence often leads to situations that cannot be easily resolved and that life just isn#8217;t like it is in the movies. #8230;.except for movies like this one. It sneaks up on you. February 3, 2006 26 out of 38 found this review helpful I went to see this film, not expecting too much. It seemed a more adult movie than many released in 2005. I enjoyed it greatly, and I mean I felt as though I had seen a good movie that didn#x27;t treat me as an idiot, and even although there is a serious message about violence it wasn#x27;t preaching at me either. I rated it as good. As time has gone on though I have begun to want to see it again, and I am looking forward to the DVD and being able to see this again.pIf you want a film that#x27;s not just fluff, but isn#x27;t overly preachy, watch this. Excellent - Amazing - WOW (but not for everybody) April 20, 2006 Filmfan 8 out of 11 found this review helpful I have just finished watching this film (bought at a great price from Amazon) and was very, very impressed. br /I do wonder whether some of the reviewers here watched something else - do give this one a try if you have a couple of hours to spare. You may like it, you may not but you will never know if you don't try it. br /One reviewer mentioned that it is the viewer who plays the most important role, as it is our interpretation of the violence which makes the film really work. How can you be pleased when you see someone blown away? - somehow I was, which is disturbing. br /One of my favourite films this year (but my husband just went 'yeah it was OK' so it won't be for everybody). br / Movie of the Year. August 20, 2006 Brendan O. Clarke (Edinburgh) 8 out of 11 found this review helpful At the risk of damning A History of Violence with faint praise, in a decidedly mixed year for movies it easily managed to stand out as one of the best. Directed by David Cronenberg, it's a weird mix of psychological thriller, family drama, and action-oriented guy movie, concerning itself more with the implications of violence than with violence itself. The movie's title ends up taking on more meaning than you might think, as it becomes clear that a history of violence can quickly become one's present as well. Its shambolic, irregular pace and laconic dialogue only partly belie the internal and interpersonal conflicts roiling just beneath its surface. br / br /Ultimately, A History of Violence is about what happens when two worlds collide, when Bad Men come to a Nice Town and find an even badder man waiting for them. Even more than that, though, it's about what happens when two sides of a single man clash, and it's no longer clear who he really is, or whether he every really "was" anybody to begin with. A History of Violence is longer on questions than on answers, but I for one wouldn't have it any other way. br /Tremendous. br / Showing reviews 1-5 of 102 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...21 Next »

CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON EU S.à.r.l. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.