Source: rogerebert.com
6. A History Of Violence
Heeey, it's the first good movie I've watched for this project! That's fun! It's also the first serious prestige movie that’s wound up on this list.
But that's because it's a Cronenberg movie. In the film, Tom Stall is just an average guy with an average life. That is, until two robbers try to take his diner hostage one day, and he brutally murders both of them. In the media frenzy that follows, some new people take notice of Tom. People who insist that they know him. People who keep calling him "Joey". People who want him dead.
What ensues is a brutal drama about the nature of violence and the horrors it brings upon our lives. It's tense, it's thrilling, it has a truly unique story structure that it still (mostly) pulls off. It occasionally gets a bit silly (especially with the son's bully, Jesus), and the last action climax feels a little tacked-on, but it’s 100 percent worth your time if you like weird, dark, violent dramas.
How It Compares to the Comic: Well, the first half is pretty darn close to the same (even if they do change my favorite action beat from the comic), but the second half is radically different. It's actually much less brutally violent than the comic is, which is weird for a gorehound like Cronenberg. But despite the diversions, this grim bloodbath earns a respectable"¦
