Movie Review – “A History of Violence”

Strengths:

1. Amazing performances. Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, William Hurt, and Maria Bello. It doesn’t get much better than that. Ed Harris has always been on of my favorites and his performance here has got to be one of his best ever.

2. The story is very compelling and keeps you wondering, “what next?”

3. Although this movie is graphically violent, it is so in order to make a point. This violence is probably more of a reflection of reality than what we usually see in a typical action thriller. In those movies violence is always quick and easy and there are no lasting consequences for any of it. Viewers are simply left with a sense that the hero is doing his duty and we commend him for it. This movie is not like that. I think it paints a picture that is a bit more realistic and there is nothing that takes place in this movie that isn’t currently happening everyday in Iraq. I believe that the director is trying to get us to see that we are numbed by it all, usually on the nightly news that has a story about rape and murder piggybacked with a story about Fluffy the Dog who just won top prize in the local dog show. We have no context to think or reflect upon what is really going on in our world, thus we become desensitized to it all.

4. This movie shows real consequences. Sin is not glamorized or rewarded.



Potential Weaknesses:

1. There were some sexual scenes in this movie. Was it necessary? I think it did help us understand the characters a bit better. Again, this was not done in your typical Hollywood fashion. It was not presented in a way as to arouse and tantalize. At least I did not get that impression. I don’t think we should say that every sex scene in a movie is bad or inherently sinful. Is there a danger there? Yes, for certain and generally speaking most sex scenes in movies are about box office dollar signs and not about character development and good art. As Christians we can’t say that viewing all adult nakedness is bad. Who then could go to an art gallery? The bigger question may be, how is it presented and will it awaken sin in me? That has to be answered on a personal level. Obviously great caution must be taken and erring on the side of conservative is probably the best bet.

2. Again, this movie is very violent and probably won’t be for everyone. I believe that it is disturbing for the sake of illustration and reflection. I think this is important for us to meditate upon.

3. No resolution at the end. That is probably the point, but may leave you wanting more. That is how I felt.