A History of Violence deals mostly with the walls that separate civilization and barbarism, and how a middle class family deals with the crumbling down of those walls. It is related in subject to Straw Dogs (1971), a better film. The problem with A History of Violence is that its schematism and contrivances are too visible, and it often gets awkward and strained. For instance, the motel scene is quite risible; depicting the wife as a repressed bourgeois whose major outlet consists in disguising as a cheerleader destroyed any empathy I could have for her. The other sex scene of the movie is quite pointless too. Also, the school scenes featuring a stereotypical bully from hell are unconvincing and seem to be there with the sole purpose of feeding the main 'violence vs. nonviolence' thread. The main character is depicted as a man with superhuman reflexes and likewise fighting and shooting skills; he is undefeatable even when unarmed and hugely outnumbered. I must admit, though, that the shootings and fights are well staged. The actors of this film do a nice job.
Rating: 50
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