A History of Violence
2005 · Movie · R · 96 min · ★ 7.2 · 85% critics
An average family life is disrupted when the father commits a seemingly self-defense killing at his diner. The incident draws unwanted attention, forcing the family to deal with what comes next and how a past can resurface and affect everyone at home.
Based on A History of Violence
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Streaming on HBO Max and Cinemax.
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Details
- Years
- 2005
- Release date
- 2005-09-23
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Critic score
- 85/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.2/10 (3,732 votes)
- Box office
- $60,740,827
- Budget
- $32,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a dark, character-driven thriller where violence ripples through family life; Not for you if you dislike tense crime stories like Eastern Promises or Prisoners, or if you’re turned off by graphic violence and explicit scenes.
Pros: tense character drama; gritty violence; strong cast | Cons: slow start; some scenes drag; divisive tone
Themes
- small town
- hero
- robbery
- indiana, usa
- distrust
- philadelphia, pennsylvania
- dual identity
- double life
- fight
- identity
- self-defense
- marriage
- +9 more
Awards & recognition
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actor · 2006 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 2006 · nominated
Cast & crew
Viggo Mortensen
as Tom Stall / Joey Cusack
Maria Bello
as Edie Stall
Ed Harris
as Carl Fogarty
William Hurt
as Richie Cusack
Ashton Holmes
as Jack Stall
Peter MacNeill
as Sheriff Sam Carney
Stephen McHattie
as Leland
Greg Bryk
as Billy
Kyle Schmid
as Bobby
Sumela Kay
as Judy Danvers
Directed by David Cronenberg