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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

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.2 / 10

Community rating

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

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Drama · 1990

Set in 1929, a political boss and his advisor have a parting of the ways when they both fall for the same woman.

Small Engine Repair

Small Engine Repair

Crime · 2021

The seemingly casual reunion of three old friends at an out-of-the-way repair shop masks a hidden agenda fuelled by the arrival of a privileged young yuppie.

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.

The Salton Sea

The Salton Sea

Crime · 2002

After the murder of his beloved wife, a man in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. On his journey, he befriends slacker Jimmy "The Finn", becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor Colette from her own demons, and gets entangled in a web of deceit full of unexpected twists and turns.

Kiss the Girls

Kiss the Girls

Thriller · 1997

Forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.

Calm with Horses

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Crime · 2020

In darkest rural Ireland, ex-boxer Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father to his autistic five-year-old son, Jack. Torn between these two families, Arm's loyalties are truly tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.

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.