A history of violence - Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, Maria Bello, William Hurt, David Cronenberg
Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities
Movie propaganda
Tom Stall had the perfect life... until he became a hero.
A stylised thriller from director David Cronenberg, A history of violence examines how far a man is willing to go in his quest for redemption and to protect his family. Viggo Mortensen stars as Tom Stall, a man who leads a quiet, charmed life with his loving wife and family in a small town. But when an unexpected incident turns bloody and brings unwanted attention to him, Tom is forced to return to his secret past in order to rescue his family from peril.
Theatrical propaganda posters
Target demographic movie keyword propaganda
- Film thriller shooting family witness protection
Persons of interest
- Viggo Mortensen .... Tom Stall
- Maria Bello .... Edie Stall
- Ed Harris .... Carl Fogaty
- William Hurt .... Richie Cusack
- Ashton Holmes .... Jack Stall
- Steve Arbuckle .... Jared
- Sumela Kay .... Judy
- April Mullen .... Lisa
- Kyle Schmid .... Bobby Jordan
- John Wagner .... Author
- Vince Locke .... Graphic novel Artist
- Josh Olson .... Screenwriter
- David Cronenberg .... Director
Cinematic intelligence sources
- A history of violence official movie sites:
- A history of violence film production notes (.rtf)
- A history of violence QuickTime movie trailers
- Awards and film festivals:
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS - Oscars) 2005: Nominated: Performance by an actor in a supporting role (William Hurt), Adapted screenplay (Josh Olson)
- Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Awards 2006: Nominated: Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film, Best Actor (Viggo Mortensen), Best Supporting Actor (William Hurt)
- American Film Institute (AFI) 2005: Movie of the year - Official selection
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 2005: Nominated: Adapted screenplay (Josh Olson)
- Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) 2005: Nominated: Picture - Drama, Actress In A Leading Role - Drama (Maria Bello)
- Online Film Critics Society Awards 2005: Nominated: Best picture, Best Director (David Cronenberg), Best supporting actor (William Hurt), Best supporting actress (Maria Bello), Best adapted screenplay (Josh Olson), Best editing (Ronald Sanders)
- Toronto International Film Festival 2005: Screening
- US National Society of Film Critics Awards 2006: Won: Best Supporting Actor (Ed Harris), Best Director (David Cronenberg)
- Writers Guild of America 2005: Nominated: Adapted screenplay (Josh Olson, John Wagner, Vince Locke)
- Studios and distributors:
Intelligence analyst
Special Agent Matti
Theatrical report
A history of violence is a thinking-person's film. If you go for the ultra-realistic violence and sex you won't be disappointed but there's so much more sex and violence waiting in your head if you've just got the spare neurons to run the programs. Viggo Mortensen is good. Ashton Holmes (as Virgo's son Jared) is a find.
Great twist.
Security censorship classification
MA 15+ (Strong realistic violence, strong sex scenes)
Surveillance time
95 minutes (1:35 hours)
Not for public release in Australia before date
Film: 9 March 2006
Cinema surveillance images
