A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (David Cronenberg, 2005, USA) A film that can be enjoyed on a visceral level about a small town man who may have a secret, dark past. When he fights off two thugs trying to hold up his restaurant, things spiral out of control and some of his secrets begin to come to light. The violence is brutal, objective, and rapid-fire as Cronenberg shows us the gore without the lingering sensationalistic bravado so prevalent in your typical “Hollywood” crapfest. But the film can be understood with a broader brushstroke as a metaphor for violence in our culture, or the war in Iraq, or the ambivalence of mainstream America and its sociopathic entertainment. Whatever, you come up with your own ideas after watching this film. The acting is superb and believable with Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello falling perfectly into character; which is important because the viewer has to connect to these two on a very personal and subjective level to believe the story. It works. The ending mis-en-scene is dynamic as all is conveyed through placement and movement of objects, body language, and without a spoken word. (A)
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EASTERN PROMISES (David Cronenberg, 2006, USA) Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen deliver another beautifully acted and directed gem of a film: this one is about the family ties of the Russian Mafia. A pregnant woman is murdered but her baby girl survives and Naomi Watts (in a rather unconvincing performance) is the midwife who tries to find the little girl’s family. Of course, this leads her to the dark and violent side of London where she comes into conflict with the Russian Mafia and it’s not only the baby’s life that’s at stake…but hers and her family’s as well! For the ending to truly work, the film relies on understanding the deeper character motivations (re: the homosexual undercurrent between Nikolai & Kirill) and the samurai code of the family. I think it’s brilliant. (A)
