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A History of Violence
Directed by
David Cronenberg
R
2005
1h 36m
Drama
,
Thriller
,
and more
7.4
88%
76%
Add to Watchlist
A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.
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Where to Watch A History of Violence
Amazon Video
Rent $3.99
Buy $12.99
Apple TV
Rent $3.99
Buy $12.99
Fandango At Home
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Buy $12.99
+4 more
Cast of A History of Violence
Viggo Mortensen
Tom Stall / Joey Cusack
Maria Bello
Edie Stall
Ed Harris
Carl Fogarty
William Hurt
Richie Cusack
Ashton Holmes
Jack Stall
Peter MacNeill
Sheriff Sam Carney
Stephen McHattie
Leland
Greg Bryk
Billy
Kyle Schmid
Bobby
Sumela Kay
Judy Danvers
Gerry Quigley
Mick
Deborah Drakeford
Charlotte
Heidi Hayes
Sarah Stall
Aidan Devine
Charlie Roarke
Bill MacDonald
Frank Mulligan
Michelle McCree
Jenny Wyeth
Ian Matthews
Ruben
R.D. Reid
Pat
Morgan Kelly
Bobby's Buddy
Martha Reilly
Shoe Saleswoman
Jason Barbeck
Richie's Thug
Bruce Beaton
Richie's Thug
Neven Pajkic
Richie's Thug
Brendan Connor
Local TV Reporter
Nick Antonacci
Local TV Reporter
John Watson
Baseball Coach
Don Allison
TV Broadcaster
Brittany Payer
Motel Girl
Mitch Boughs
Kid in Diner
April Mullen
Kid in Diner
George King
Hospital Well-Wisher
Shawn Campbell
Orderly
A History of Violence Ratings & Reviews
Ryezoo
February 14, 2025
Really intense, extremely well acted. The cinematography is also gorgeous. I knew I was in for a treat from the opening shot alone. And hot damn those sex scenes! This is such a well crafted and thrilling movie that I need to watch again!
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Steve Murray
A model of clean, lean storytelling.
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Cronenberg isn't engaging in parody or irony. Nor is he nihilistically pandering to our worst impulses: the filmmaking is too measured and too intelligent. He implicitly respects us and our responses, even when those responses are silly or disturbing.
Denver Post
Lisa Kennedy
[A] vigorously sublime take on guilt and innocence, the damned and the redeemed.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Jeff Strickler
The first half of the story -- the one shrouded in doubt -- is much more effective than the second half, which is shrouded in bloodletting.
Austin Chronicle
Marjorie Baumgarten
Harris and Hurt create characters that are so deliciously malevolent and original that their performances alone make the movie worthwhile.
Lessons of Darkness
Nick Schager
Probes our intrinsic attraction to violence with caustic incisiveness.
AskMen.com
Radheyan Simonpillai
The violence that enters the characters' perfect domestic existence is permanent, and each act reveals truths about the people who use it and the audience who enjoys it.
Associated Press
Christy Lemire
The less you know about this movie before seeing it -- and you really should see it -- the better.
The New Yorker
David Denby
Cronenberg's direction, mirroring the split in Tom, is alternately measured and frighteningly explosive, and, as always, he gives the movie a nasty underlay of sexual perversity.
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
This peculiarly predictable picture has been calculated, or miscalculated, to set up certain expectations, fulfill them, and then do the same thing again, thereby giving us a chance to see what's coming and, at least in theory, be shocked.
New York Magazine/Vulture
Ken Tucker
A remarkably convincing examination of heroism, hero worship, and the seductive allure of villainy.
RogerEbert.com
Jim Emerson
The film, based on a graphic novel, has a crackling sense of visual tension.
Observer
Andrew Sarris
Mr. Cronenberg has imbued his narrative with a style of personal conviction that is found in only the greatest auteurs.
Arizona Republic
Bill Muller
It's rare to find a filmmaker who can deliver such a message and keep us riveted every minute of screen time. But Cronenberg manages it, making A History of Violence one of his best, and most realistic, films ever.
Ebert & Roeper
Richard Roeper
This is his most mainstream effort yet, but, he's got those Croneneberg touches of violence. It doesn't glorify the violence, it's not gratuitous, it's sudden, it's shocking.
San Jose Mercury News
Bruce Newman
In A History of Violence, director David Cronenberg's delirious wow of a movie about violence and sex and the American dream, cinema regains all its original power to shock and surprise.
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
There's not a scene wasted in the 97-minute unspooling, not a detour that doesn't tell, surprise, horrify, delight.
AV Club
Keith Phipps
The film keeps finding the violent underpinnings of everyday life wherever it looks, from the if-it-bleeds-it-leads news coverage that makes Mortensen a local hero, to the social structure of Holmes' high school.
Movie Mom
Nell Minow
An outstanding and deeply unsettling exploration of the conflicts all humans have about violence, simultaneously drawn to it frightened by it, revolted by it.
Watch A History of Violence Videos
A History Of Violence
A History Of Violence
Trailer
A History Of Violence Scene: Who's Joey
A History Of Violence Scene: Who's Joey
Scene
A History Of Violence Scene: False Alarm
A History Of Violence Scene: False Alarm
Scene
A History Of Violence Scene: He Knows Me
A History Of Violence Scene: He Knows Me
Scene
A History Of Violence Scene: My Name Is Tom
A History Of Violence Scene: My Name Is Tom
Scene
A History Of Violence Scene: Witness Protection
A History Of Violence Scene: Witness Protection
Scene
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