A History of Violence

Average citizen Tom Stall attracts a lot of media attention when he foils a viscious attack on the employees of his small-town diner. He also attracts the attention of a some Philadelphia mobsters who seem to think he is someone else.

A History of Violence follows the popular trend of realism prevalent in many recent movies. This is not a "typical Hollywood movie" with cookie-cutter characters. The characters are real, and kept me guessing at where their interactions would lead them.

In spite of the good quality of the movie, neither my wife nor I particularly enjoyed it. However, I perceived the ending as more hopeful than my she did, an issue that the filmmakers admitted wasn't necessarily clear.

The main theme of A History of Violence is of course violence. Regardless of what you think of the characters and the story, this film will make you think about the place of violence in American culture, and about people's motivation for or against violent behavior.