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for larger version       MovieScope
Now, we have “A History of Violence,” Director David Cronenberg’s survival of the fittest neo-Western, where a mild mannered diner owner in Indiana is transformed into a local hero after brutally dispatching two psycho killers out of “In Cold Blood.” The diner owner is played by Viggo Mortensen as gentle soul Tom Stall who, at first, seems incapable of swatting a fly. He’s also a family man, with a son, Jack (Ashton Holmes), who emulates his father’s passivity when bullies abuse him in school.
Again, Tom is called into action, with Cronenberg (“The Fly,” “Dead Zone”), unleashing more graphic gore. Without giving away too much plot, it’s safe to say that Tom is not what his wife and kids originally thought he was. What he is, however, is a “good” guy, despite his dubious background... much the way Brando’s Don is, regardless of his mob credentials. Are there “good” bad guys and “bad” bad guys? Hollywood would have us think so. Maybe, we should ask Guardian Angel Curtis Sliwa? Reportedly, he wasn’t too happy about “reformed” gangster Junior Gotti of Gambino crime family fame being released from prison. “A History of Violence” is a tough, well-acted thriller, which asks us to accept “The Godfather” premise that “good” gangsters do exist and will be around for a while to weed out the “bad” gangsters.
It’s Darwinian, survival of the fittest. Make sure there’s one in your neighborhood.
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