2008 Woodie Awards
Worthy plot turns into bad film
Issue date: 10/6/05 Section: Features
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Why is it that the most highly publicized movies usually end up being the worst ones? Most advertising leading up to last week's box office releases were centered around "Into the Blue" and "A History of Violence." With great choices like these, how could the box office possibly be suffering?
Of the two movies, I chose "A History of Violence" because the plot appeared to be interesting. Director David Cronenberg has a history of making suspenseful, creepy films such as "The Fly." It's just too bad that his most highly publicized movie turned out to be his worst.
"A History of Violence" stars Viggo Mortenson ("Lord of the Rings") as Tom Stall, a small-town café owner and family man, who in a turn becomes a local hero.
The media attention that follows turns out to be troublesome as three high-ranking members of the mafia show up in a diner. They claim Stall is actually a former hit man for the mob in Philadelphia, and the leader of the three men, played by Ed Harris, is there for retribution for an incident years back.
Stall and his wife, played by Maria Bello ("Coyote Ugly"), adamantly deny the allegations. When the mobsters refuse to leave town, people start to take notice, and the lives of Stall and his family begin unraveled.
The longer the mobsters inhabit the town, the more the beast that resides within Stall starts to develop, showing his transformation into this supposed hit man. This forces Stall to defend his true identity from everyone, including his own family.
The plot sounds great. It is a refreshing idea in a time where movies, especially in the action genre, have become tired and overdone.
Unfortunately, this movie does not deliver on its promise. Mixing intense violence with horrible acting and terrible dialogue only translates into two hours of sheer misery. Even Ed Harris, a normally phenomenal actor, was bad in a large part because, like the rest of the characters, he had to use a script that sounded like it had been written by a first grader.
By the time the credits rolled, I was furious. Another good idea had been put to waste by the need to make the movie appeal to the public's short-attention spans. The film never really develops unless you count the many ways Stall gets to kill people.
I don't recommend this movie to anyone who truly values life, because you will lose two hours of it that you will never get back. Save your money this week and rent something instead.
Of the two movies, I chose "A History of Violence" because the plot appeared to be interesting. Director David Cronenberg has a history of making suspenseful, creepy films such as "The Fly." It's just too bad that his most highly publicized movie turned out to be his worst.
"A History of Violence" stars Viggo Mortenson ("Lord of the Rings") as Tom Stall, a small-town café owner and family man, who in a turn becomes a local hero.
The media attention that follows turns out to be troublesome as three high-ranking members of the mafia show up in a diner. They claim Stall is actually a former hit man for the mob in Philadelphia, and the leader of the three men, played by Ed Harris, is there for retribution for an incident years back.
Stall and his wife, played by Maria Bello ("Coyote Ugly"), adamantly deny the allegations. When the mobsters refuse to leave town, people start to take notice, and the lives of Stall and his family begin unraveled.
The longer the mobsters inhabit the town, the more the beast that resides within Stall starts to develop, showing his transformation into this supposed hit man. This forces Stall to defend his true identity from everyone, including his own family.
The plot sounds great. It is a refreshing idea in a time where movies, especially in the action genre, have become tired and overdone.
Unfortunately, this movie does not deliver on its promise. Mixing intense violence with horrible acting and terrible dialogue only translates into two hours of sheer misery. Even Ed Harris, a normally phenomenal actor, was bad in a large part because, like the rest of the characters, he had to use a script that sounded like it had been written by a first grader.
By the time the credits rolled, I was furious. Another good idea had been put to waste by the need to make the movie appeal to the public's short-attention spans. The film never really develops unless you count the many ways Stall gets to kill people.
I don't recommend this movie to anyone who truly values life, because you will lose two hours of it that you will never get back. Save your money this week and rent something instead.