Overview
A quiet life in a small town is shattered by violence and secrets.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- tense
- brooding
- morally unsettling
- late night thriller viewing
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised David Cronenberg's controlled, subversive crime thriller for its explosive violence, moral complexity, and psychologically rich central performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tom Stall's quiet family-man identity is challenged by men who believe he is Joey Cusack, forcing the past into the present.
Tom's self-defense and subsequent confrontations alter his relationship with Edie and their children.
The idyllic small-town life of Millbrook is repeatedly ruptured by robberies, assassins, and retaliatory violence.
Tom becomes a celebrated hero after defending the diner, while his family and community confront the violent history beneath that heroism.
Films like A History of Violence, and why
Eastern Promises
Shares a family-centered crime thriller structure, morally unsettling violence, and questions about hidden identity.
Straw Dogs
Combines domestic realism with explosive violence, criminal secrets, and a protagonist whose past destabilizes family life.
The Departed
Explores identity, organized crime, and the psychological consequences of violence through a tense, character-driven thriller.
Blue Ruin
Uses restrained small-town realism and sudden brutality to examine whether violence is inherent or socially produced.
Movie Details
- Director
- David Cronenberg
- Release Date
- 2005-09-23
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (3889)
Cast
- Viggo Mortensen
- Maria Bello
- Ed Harris
- William Hurt
- Ashton Holmes
- Peter MacNeill
- Stephen McHattie
- Greg Bryk
- Kyle Schmid
- Sumela Kay
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A History of Violence about?
- A quiet Indiana family man's heroic act exposes a violent past that threatens to consume the ordinary life he built.
- What is A History of Violence like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A History of Violence as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A History of Violence violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in A History of Violence as graphic.
- What did critics think of A History of Violence?
- Critics broadly praised David Cronenberg's controlled, subversive crime thriller for its explosive violence, moral complexity, and psychologically rich central performance.
- Which films are like A History of Violence?
- Films with a similar feel include Eastern Promises, Straw Dogs, The Departed, and Blue Ruin.
- How long is A History of Violence?
- A History of Violence runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch A History of Violence?
- In United States, A History of Violence streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel.
