"A History of Violence" surprises as it illuminates its topic

Canadian director David Cronenberg has already made several unnerving films: among them, Videodrome, Dead Ringers, Crash (the 1996 film), and Spider. Cronenberg’s talent includes taking conditioned expectations reinforced in conventional fare and then burrowing much deeper and more creatively into the fears and anxieties of his audience.

His superb 2005 “A History of Violence” is his best work, primarily because it implicates the audience in its interrogation and presentation of very disconcerting violence. For anyone watching the film and aware of Cronenberg’s deft manipulation, the emotional experience is unsettling and, I must admit, gratifying. And that’s exactly where Cronenberg lifts his work above films that use, without ever questioning, the violence they exploit. Cronenberg asks the tough questions.

Adapted from John Wagner and Vince Locke’s graphic novel, the story is straightforward and clear. Two very bad men, as established in a chilling opening scene, roll into an idyllic Indiana town. At his diner, loving father/husband Tom Stall becomes a media-crowned, local hero because of the way he deals with these men. Though Tom, his wife and two children want to get on with their lives, notoriety brings a menacing trio to town. They hail, ironically, from Philadelphia and are headed by a scarred and creepy Ed Harris who, in Hitchcock fashion, thinks he knows of another identity for Tom. To say any more would ruin the twists and turn of the plot, but what matters in “A History of Violence” is not what happens but how we feel about what happens.

Cronenberg brilliantly elicits a continuum of emotions, elicits our involvement as well as our reflection. This is an astonishing feat made all the more effective by a complex and subtle performance by Vigo Mortensen as well as Ed Harris, William Hurt, Maria Bello, and excellent supporting performances. The action is thrillingly choreographed, and the tension palpable. “A History of Violence” is frightening for its insights and its refusal to provide a catharsis as it holds a mirror up for our serious contemplation. In 35 mm, “A History of Violence” screens at Webster University’s Winifred Moore auditorium one night only, Thursday, May 30, at 7:30. For more information, you may visit the film series website.