A History of Violence

Tonight I was lucky enough to go to the opening night of A History of Violence - the new David Cronenberg film that has finally made it to our shores. I have a shelf dedicated to Cronenberg - books, DVD's,even down to a collection of scripts. Nearly all of his films are in my long list of favorites so it wasn't going to take much to get me to a 9pm screening - even if it meant missing the West Wing (thankyou ABC - it means so much to us all, did anyone tape it?)

Of course like all women aged between 8 and 80 Viggo Mortensen is also a bit of a draw card. There is no denying he seems to be an ideal man - tall handsome poet with cheekbones you can slice cheese off and the bluest saddest eyes. He's an ideal Cronenberg leading man. Like James Spader, James Woods, Ralph Fiennes, Jeff Goldblum before him there is an intensity and darkness in his performance even before things take an inevitable turn for the worse.

Many reviewers have said that this isn't like any other Cronenberg film. In fact some of the more disgusting and hardcore elements of the original graphic novel by John Wagner were left completely untouched by Cronenberg which came as a surprise. But I would argue that there is a thread between all his films that goes beyond all the theorizing about the body and technology.

All of his films are about being true to your nature - even when that takes you to some very dark places.

It wouldn't be Cronenberg without sex. He again uses sex scenes as a device for the characters to have a conversation without words. I have very mixed feelings about sex scenes, particularly in mainstream films (some of them I love, but most are just silly) but Cronenberg uses it as another language in all his work. They are often clumsy, uncomfortable and linger too long on the wrong things (much like life I guess) and he never forgets that we as the viewer are the intruder - placing the camera at awkward angles, not overloading the scenes with music.

There are two sex scenes in AHOV, one at each end (ahem) and they act as a kind of mirror to the action. The first scene was so deeply intimate that the audience laughed a little with embarrassment. I thought it was hot stuff and went along way in demonstrating how much the central character stood to lose as things unravelled. The second, so brutal and violent you couldn't help but remember the first and wonder if this was the same man and woman.

Actress Maria Bello (so fine in last year's The Cooler) is always fearless in her performances. She brings so much to characters that don't come from the script. I want to see her do much more than play the supportive wife/girlfriend roles. She does well here and is a fine match for Viggo.

A History Of Violence is certainly not a masterpiece as some overseas reviewers have put it but it is a movie for grown ups. It's a movie about revenge, love, family, violence, men, nature vs nurture. It most certainly is a Cronenberg film - just one that won't leave you feeling quite so violated.

Now I'm going out to buy the box set of West Wing Season 4...