Watch Trailer

A History of Violence

Watch in the UK

Watch in the US

Data provided by

9 / 10

1 Review

Rate this movie:

9 Based on 1 Votes

10

0
9

1
8

0
7

0
6

0
5

0
4

0
3

0
2

0
1

0

Overview

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

Media

View all media

A History of Violence (Trailer)

Cast

View all cast

Viggo Mortensen

Maria Bello

Ed Harris

William Hurt

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writer:

Josh Olson, Vince Locke, John Wagner

Release Date:

2005-09-23

Run Time:

96m

Tagline:

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

Genres:

Crime Drama Thriller

Keywords:

attempted robbery based on graphic novel diner distrust double life dual identity family relationships fight hero identity indiana, usa irish mob lawyer marriage mistaken identity mobster philadelphia, pennsylvania revenge robbery self-defense small town

Financials and Popularity

Budget: 32,000,000.00 $

Revenue: 61,477,797.00 $

Vote Average: 7.2/10

Vote Count: 3696 Votes

Movie Popularity: 14.7508

Spoken Languages: English

Review

View all reviews

Insomniacs Reviews
- 29 April 2026 at 9:23 pm

9 Based on 1 Votes

10

0

9

1

8

0

7

0

6

0

5

0

4

0

3

0

2

0

1

0
⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 9/10 THE SUMMARY David Cronenberg steps away from his usual "body horror" to deliver a high-quality, psychological thriller that hits like a sledgehammer. Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is a quiet family man who runs a diner in a sleepy Indiana town. His peaceful life is shattered when he kills two gunmen in self-defense, becoming a national hero overnight. But the fame brings unwanted attention from a scarred mobster (Ed Harris) who insists Tom is actually "Joey," a cold-blooded hitman from his past. It’s a legendary exploration of identity and whether a man can truly bury his own nature. THE PROS This earns its 9/10 and "Epic Status" because it’s a high-quality masterclass in tension and subtext. Viggo Mortensen is a total winner, pulling off a sincere and subtle transformation as his "Tom" persona slowly cracks to reveal the lethal efficiency underneath. The violence is short, sharp, and honest—there’s no "action movie" fluff here; it’s brutal, messy, and has real consequences for everyone involved. Maria Bello is absolute quality as his wife, Edie, delivering a legendary performance as she watches her entire marriage turn into a lie. It hits the 9/10 mark because it challenges the audience to think about why we cheer for violence, making it a sincere and thought-provoking banger that sticks with you. The final scene at the dinner table is a high-quality bit of storytelling that says everything without a single word of dialogue. THE CONS It misses the perfect 10/10 mark because the final act in Philadelphia, involving William Hurt as Tom’s brother, shifts the tone into something slightly more theatrical and "camp" than the grounded, high-quality drama that came before it. While Hurt is a legendary shout, his performance feels a touch detached from the sincere, gritty realism of the Indiana scenes. The pacing can also feel like a bit of a slow-roller in the second act as the family deals with the fallout, which might feel sluggish for those expecting a standard action flick. It’s an honest masterpiece, but that slight shift in the finale keeps it just shy of flawless status. THE VERDICT A 9/10. An epic status achievement that is a winner for anyone who wants a thriller with actual depth. It’s a legendary, high-quality look at the dark side of the American dream that proves Cronenberg is a master of the craft. While it’s a quiet and intense sit, the honest performances and visceral tension make it a total banger. A massive shout for one of the best films of the 2000s. INSOMNIAC TRIVIA • No Stunt Doubles: To keep the action high-quality and honest, David Cronenberg decided not to use stunt doubles for the fight scenes. He wanted the actors to look awkward and desperate during the struggles, ensuring the violence felt legendary and real rather than choreographed. • Accidental Source: Interestingly, Cronenberg didn't even know the film was based on a graphic novel until he was well into production. He had only read the script and was drawn to the high-quality themes of identity, only later discovering its comic book origins. • Practical Effects: In true Cronenberg fashion, the gore was kept honest and practical. The legendary "eye" injury on Ed Harris’s character was a high-quality piece of makeup that took hours to apply each day to ensure the character’s dark history felt tangible on screen. THE VIBE Like a calm lake with a body hidden at the bottom. It smells of diner coffee, fresh rain on asphalt, and the metallic tang of a sudden, sharp nosebleed.

Videos

A History of Violence (Trailer)

Cast

Viggo Mortensen

Maria Bello

Ed Harris

William Hurt

Ashton Holmes

Peter MacNeill

Stephen McHattie

Greg Bryk

Kyle Schmid

Sumela Kay

Related Movies To

A History of Violence

Sarah’s Oil

7 / 10

1 Review

Sarah Rector, a Black girl born in early 20th-century Oklahoma Indian Territory, believes there is oil beneath the barren land she’s allotted, and her faith proves right. As greedy oil sharks close in, Sarah turns to family, friends, and some Texas wildcatters to maintain control of her oil-rich land, eventually becoming among the nation's first Black female millionaires—at eleven years old.

Run time: 103m Tagline: Inspired by a true story of faith and fortune. Release: 2025-11-06

Director: Cyrus Nowrasteh

Stars: Adyan Copes Bridget Regan Garret Dillahunt Jonathan Lipnicki Kenric Green Mel Rodriguez Naya Desir-Johnson Sonequa Martin-Green Stelio Savante Zachary Levi

The Sheep Detectives

8 / 10

1 Review

George is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.

Run time: 109m Tagline: A new breed of mystery. Release: 2026-05-02

Director: Kyle Balda

Stars: Conleth Hill Emma Thompson Hong Chau Hugh Jackman Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Mandeep Dhillon Molly Gordon Nicholas Braun Nicholas Galitzine Tosin Cole

Marrowbone

7 / 10

1 Review

A young man and his three younger siblings are plagued by a sinister presence in the sprawling manor in which they live.

Run time: 111m Tagline: No one will ever separate us. Release: 2017-10-27

Director: Sergio G. Sánchez

Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy Charlie Heaton George MacKay Kyle Soller Matthew Stagg Mia Goth Myra Kathryn Pearse Nicola Harrison Paul Jesson Tom Fisher

The Green Mile

9 / 10

1 Review

A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.

Run time: 189m Tagline: Paul Edgecomb didn't believe in miracles. Until the day he met one. Release: 1999-12-10

Director: Frank Darabont

Stars: Barry Pepper Bonnie Hunt David Morse Doug Hutchison Graham Greene James Cromwell Michael Clarke Duncan Michael Jeter Sam Rockwell Tom Hanks

Good Boy

8 / 10

1 Review

Tommy, a volatile 19-year-old, revels in drugs, parties and violence. After getting separated from his friends on a drunken bender, he is abducted by a shadowy figure. He wakes to find himself imprisoned in the basement of a remote Yorkshire house, inhabited by a very strange family. But what unfolds is not what he could possibly expect.

Run time: 110m Tagline: Some people only learn the hard way. Release: 2026-03-06

Director: Jan Komasa

Stars: Andrea Riseborough Anson Boon Callum Booth-Ford Kit Rakusen Mila Jankowska Monika Frajczyk Noah Manzoor Noah Valentine Savannah Steyn Stephen Graham

Collections

A History of Violence

This movie is not part of any collection.

Reviews for

A History of Violence

Comment (1)

Insomniacs Reviews
- 29 April 2026 at 10:23 PM

⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 9/10

THE SUMMARY
David Cronenberg steps away from his usual “body horror” to deliver a high-quality, psychological thriller that hits like a sledgehammer. Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is a quiet family man who runs a diner in a sleepy Indiana town. His peaceful life is shattered when he kills two gunmen in self-defense, becoming a national hero overnight. But the fame brings unwanted attention from a scarred mobster (Ed Harris) who insists Tom is actually “Joey,” a cold-blooded hitman from his past. It’s a legendary exploration of identity and whether a man can truly bury his own nature.

THE PROS
This earns its 9/10 and “Epic Status” because it’s a high-quality masterclass in tension and subtext. Viggo Mortensen is a total winner, pulling off a sincere and subtle transformation as his “Tom” persona slowly cracks to reveal the lethal efficiency underneath. The violence is short, sharp, and honest—there’s no “action movie” fluff here; it’s brutal, messy, and has real consequences for everyone involved. Maria Bello is absolute quality as his wife, Edie, delivering a legendary performance as she watches her entire marriage turn into a lie. It hits the 9/10 mark because it challenges the audience to think about why we cheer for violence, making it a sincere and thought-provoking banger that sticks with you. The final scene at the dinner table is a high-quality bit of storytelling that says everything without a single word of dialogue.

THE CONS
It misses the perfect 10/10 mark because the final act in Philadelphia, involving William Hurt as Tom’s brother, shifts the tone into something slightly more theatrical and “camp” than the grounded, high-quality drama that came before it. While Hurt is a legendary shout, his performance feels a touch detached from the sincere, gritty realism of the Indiana scenes. The pacing can also feel like a bit of a slow-roller in the second act as the family deals with the fallout, which might feel sluggish for those expecting a standard action flick. It’s an honest masterpiece, but that slight shift in the finale keeps it just shy of flawless status.

THE VERDICT
A 9/10. An epic status achievement that is a winner for anyone who wants a thriller with actual depth. It’s a legendary, high-quality look at the dark side of the American dream that proves Cronenberg is a master of the craft. While it’s a quiet and intense sit, the honest performances and visceral tension make it a total banger. A massive shout for one of the best films of the 2000s.

INSOMNIAC TRIVIA
• No Stunt Doubles: To keep the action high-quality and honest, David Cronenberg decided not to use stunt doubles for the fight scenes. He wanted the actors to look awkward and desperate during the struggles, ensuring the violence felt legendary and real rather than choreographed.

• Accidental Source: Interestingly, Cronenberg didn’t even know the film was based on a graphic novel until he was well into production. He had only read the script and was drawn to the high-quality themes of identity, only later discovering its comic book origins.

• Practical Effects: In true Cronenberg fashion, the gore was kept honest and practical. The legendary “eye” injury on Ed Harris’s character was a high-quality piece of makeup that took hours to apply each day to ensure the character’s dark history felt tangible on screen.

THE VIBE
Like a calm lake with a body hidden at the bottom. It smells of diner coffee, fresh rain on asphalt, and the metallic tang of a sudden, sharp nosebleed.

Leave a Review Cancel reply