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A History of Violence

A History of Violence

Drama · Thriller · Crime · 2005

An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.

Movie details

A History of Violence

“Tom Stall had the perfect life...until he became a hero.”

2005 Drama · Thriller · Crime 1h 36m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.4 / 10

271.3K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

88 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

82 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

7.2 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over A History of Violence?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Fargo

Fargo

Crime · 1996

Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!

The Hit

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Drama · 1984

Ten years after ratting on his old mobster friends in exchange for personal immunity, two hit men drive a hardened criminal to Paris for his execution. However, while on the way, whatever can go wrong, does go wrong.

State of Grace

State of Grace

Drama · 1990

Hell's Kitchen, New York. Terry Noonan returns home after a ten-year absence. He soon reconnects with Jackie, a childhood friend and member of the Irish mob, and rekindles his love affair with Jackie's sister Kathleen.

The Departed

The Departed

Drama · 2006

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.

Lucky Number Slevin

Lucky Number Slevin

Drama · 2006

Slevin is mistakenly put in the middle of a personal war between the city’s biggest criminal bosses. Under constant watch, Slevin must try not to get killed by an infamous assassin and come up with an idea of how to get out of his current dilemma.

Reservoir Dogs

Reservoir Dogs

Crime · 1992

A botched robbery indicates a police informant, and the pressure mounts in the aftermath at a warehouse. Crime begets violence as the survivors -- veteran Mr. White, newcomer Mr. Orange, psychopathic parolee Mr. Blonde, bickering weasel Mr. Pink and Nice Guy Eddie -- unravel.

Mr. Brooks

Mr. Brooks

Crime · 2007

A psychological thriller about a man who is sometimes controlled by his murder-and-mayhem-loving alter ego.

Hunting Season

Hunting Season

Action · 2025

When a reclusive survivalist and his daughter rescue a mysterious, wounded woman from a river, they become entangled in a deadly web of violence and revenge, forcing them to confront a brutal criminal to survive.

Kill the Irishman

Kill the Irishman

Action · 2011

Over the summer of 1976, thirty-six bombs detonate in the heart of Cleveland while a turf war raged between Irish mobster Danny Greene and the Italian mafia. Based on a true story, Kill the Irishman chronicles Greene's heroic rise from a tough Cleveland neighborhood to become an enforcer in the local mob.

Payback

Payback

Action · 1999

With friends like these, who needs enemies? That's the question bad guy Porter is left asking after his wife and partner steal his heist money and leave him for dead -- or so they think. Five months and an endless reservoir of bitterness later, Porter's partners and the crooked cops on his tail learn how bad payback can be.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

David Cronenberg

Written by

Josh Olson

Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen

Tom Stall / Joey Cusack

Maria Bello

Maria Bello

Edie Stall

Ed Harris

Ed Harris

Carl Fogarty

William Hurt

William Hurt

Richie Cusack

Ashton Holmes

Ashton Holmes

Jack Stall

Peter MacNeill

Peter MacNeill

Sheriff Sam Carney

Stephen McHattie

Stephen McHattie

Leland

Court is in session

Put A History of Violence on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.