A History of Violence and Violence

Sylvan 2022-01-25 08:05:51

As I said on the blog before, my interest lies in thrillers, and I don't have much interest in films like "The History of Violence" that are somewhat under-named. Thanks to the cold air that stopped as promised, and the strong wind that blew for more than a day, I finally let me appreciate the ability of the director, the old freak Cronenberg again, in a boring night.
This is a simple film. In the comic adaptation, Aragorn plays the leading role played by Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings. In addition, the old freak Cronenberg's ability to make simple things complicated and make complicated things simple basically constitutes the whole of this film.
Generally speaking, movies based on comics must be in line with the tastes of the old beauty: the plots are mostly simple, the characters are facialized, and it seems that it takes no brains. This movie seems to be no exception. Compared with Cronenberg's previous films "The Flies", "Dead Zone", etc., "A History of Violence", in addition to the easier to understand plot, has been promoting such a theme: violence as part of human nature , like a disease can be controlled and cured.
"The History of Violence" is not the first to use a simple plot to explore violence in human nature. A previous book by British female scholar Joanna Burke, "Face to Face Killing", elaborated on this topic in a very novel and in-depth manner. She changed from what most people thought in the past that fighting was a last resort, and few people liked violence and war, but revealed such a reality through the diaries, letters, and reports of soldiers during World War II and the Vietnam War: daily life Moderate and kind-hearted people become killers because of the structure of war. In the environment of war, the way people find happiness is often to kill another kind of flesh and blood:

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I thought I would not take pleasure in killing, until one day, because I was in charge of the mortar, I was able to control what may be the most lethal weapon in modern warfare. ...that day... I directed a shell to hit the enemy's camp, saw corpses and even corpses flying into the sky, and heard the desperate cry of the wounded and deserters. To be honest, it was the happiest moment of my life.

That feeling of being able to control life and death, looking down the barrel of the gun, aiming at a person, and thinking, well, it's you. Feeling is feeling, actually doing it is another matter. You won't necessarily feel bad; on the contrary, you will be very proud, especially when one-on-one and the opponent has a chance. The two were just one hat away. That's the fun of "Hunter".
...
——Excerpted from "Face to Face Killing"
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also the theme of violence , British women scholars can trace its roots back to the unavoidable side of human nature, and freak director Cronenberg can use the handsome Mortensen to be a different person in front of a killer and his family; confronting the past and struggling with violence to prove violence Like an illness, it only takes love and time to heal.
There are always a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand people: Ang Lee once said that everyone has a Brokeback Mountain in their hearts. If it was Cronenberg, he must have wanted to say: Everyone has a history of violence in their hearts.

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Extended Reading
  • Lou 2022-04-22 07:01:05

    Cruel violence and calm narrative are intertwined in the whole film, and the perfect cooperation between starring Viggo Mortensen and director David Cronenberg makes the whole film full of just the right tension.

  • Hildegard 2022-04-21 09:01:34

    The original Warner DVD introduced by the hell was cut again I love soft violence

A History of Violence quotes

  • [Bobby picks on Jack for winning the baseball game]

    Jack Stall: Bobby, it's just a game, okay? It's just stupid gym class.

    Bobby Jordan: Who are you calling stupid?

    Jack Stall: [Jack clears his throat] No, I said gym class was stupid.

    Bobby Jordan: 'No, I said gym class was.' Listen to this little faggot!

    Jack Stall: [Bobby pushes Jack in the back, as Jack turns around to face Bobby] Yeah, you're right. I'm both little and a faggot. You got me dead to rights.

    Bobby Jordan: Come on, chicken shit, let's do this!

    Jack Stall: [Bobby pushes Jack] What would be the point? I mean, you win. You win, you win. You've established your, uh, alpha male standing; uh, you've established my unworthiness; but doing violence to me just seems pointless and cruel, don't you think?

    Bobby Jordan: Let's do this, you punk bitch!

    Jack Stall: Shouldn't that be, 'little, punkass, chickenshit, faggot bitch'?

    Bobby Jordan: [Bobby grabs Jack's shirt and pushes him again] God!

  • [Edie asks Tom for the truth about if he's Joey Cusack]

    Tom Stall: Edie. Honey, are you okay?

    Edie Stall: Tell me the truth.

    Tom Stall: The truth?

    Edie Stall: Please, you can do that, can't you? You can do that, can't you, please?

    Tom Stall: What do you think you heard?

    Edie Stall: It's not what I heard. It's what I saw. I saw Joey. I saw you turn into Joey right before my eyes. I saw a killer... the one Fogarty warned me about. You did kill men back in Philly, didn't you? Did you do it for money, or did you do it because you enjoyed it?

    Tom Stall: Joey did, both. I didn't... Tom Stall didn't.

    [as Edie runs into the bathroom to vomit]