“A history of violence” (2005) is a crime thriller directed by David Cronenberg. The story is about an apparently normal and peaceful man who gets involved in a self-defense murder case. With that, his turbulent past will emerge again in unexpected ways. The main character, Tom Stall, is interpreted by actor Viggo Mortensen in an outstanding performance that was probably crucial in his career.
Since Cronenberg has defined himself as a “complete Darwinian”, critics like Roger Ebert have seen in “A history of violence” a study on “the innate violence of Darwinian evolution, in which better-adapted organisms replace those less able to cope”. Regardless of the truth of this analysis, the film is a tremendously fascinating, if disturbing, work of art.
