Some spoilers for A History of Violence at the end of the article.There’s a trending thriller on HBO Max that stars Viggo Mortensen in his best role that’s not named Aragorn. Even before he appeared in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy as the ranger from the North and the heir to the throne of Gondor, Viggo Mortensen was well on his way to becoming a known quantity in Hollywood.
Parts in Crimson Tide, Carlito’s Way, The Portrait of a Lady, and G.I. Jane signaled he was an actor to look out for. However, it wasn’t until being cast in Lord of the Rings, a last-minute casting, by the way, that his star really rose. His career flipped after the epic fantasy trilogy, and rarely has he appeared in anything that’s not worth watching.
Arguably, his second-best role came in only the second film he appeared in after The Return of the King, A History of Violence in 2005, where he stars as Tom Stall. Directed by body-horror maestro David Cronenberg, A History of Violence is an adaptation of the 1997 DC graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke.
The film tells the story of Tom Stall, a diner owner living in small town Indiana with his happy family of four. After Tom deftly kills two serial murderers passing through, he’s visited by a group of sinister men who claim that Tom is not who he says he is. It’s a harrowing, shocking, surprisingly funny film, and it’s well worth the 90-minute investment now that it’s on HBO Max.
A History Of Violence Is Viggo Mortensen’s Best Role After Aragorn
Viggo Mortensen is doing some of his best work in A History of Violence as Tom Stall, and it’s an incredible display of the actor’s range. Tom is quiet and kind, a loving husband and a doting father who has the respect and love of his adolescent daughter and his teenage son in equal measure.
As the layers of the film get slowly peeled back, though, we see more and more of who Tom really might be. Mortensen has perfect control of the character’s changing persona. Tom slowly becomes a darker character throughout the film, but we are always clear exactly which version of Tom we’re dealing with on-screen thanks to his performance.
At one point in A History of Violence, Tom’s wife Edie (Maria Bello) says that she can see something’s changed in his eyes, and the audience can pinpoint that exact moment as well. We get to know Tom Stall so well in such a short amount of time, so well that we’re as stunned and affronted as Edie when we learn things are not quite as they seem.
How A History Of Violence Subverts Expectations
A History of Violence is a fast film; the action starts in earnest, and we learn everything we need to know about the characters and plot in just the right amount of time. It’s a speed that allows the movie to subvert what you’re expecting in some really bracing ways, and if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and stop reading, though I’ll try to be as vague as possible.
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A History of Violence Cast |
|
|---|---|
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Actor |
Character |
|
Viggo Mortensen |
Tom Stall |
|
Maria Bello |
Edie Stall |
|
Ed Harris |
Carl Fogarty |
|
William Hurt |
Richie Cusack |
|
Ashton Holmes |
Jack Stall |
|
Peter MacNeill |
Sheriff Sam Carney |
|
Stephen McHattie |
Leland Jones |
|
Greg Bryk |
Billy Orser |
|
R. D. Reid |
Pat |
Through the first two-thirds of A History of Violence, Mortensen’s performance convinces the audience that Tom Stall is no more than a humble diner owner, the violence around him, and that he takes part in just random events that he couldn’t foresee. Towards the end of the film, things change.
A History of Violence is not a twist movie, but it still does a lot to surprise you, and the strange structure of the film, with the last 20 minutes being perhaps the best, keeps you off kilter and unsure of where the movie is going. A History of Violence is the kind of film that brings great performances out of actors, and when there’s an already great actor like Viggo Mortensen in it, something special happens.
- Release Date
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September 23, 2005
- Runtime
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96 minutes