I know it shouldn't matter, but it's funny how certain auteur directors can be crippled or advantaged when they try to make a film against type. For example, when David Lynch made The Straight Story, it was so completely normal, so the opposite of his usually dense and incomprehensible plotlines, that is seemed positively bizarre.
David Cronenberg, director of such classic mind-bending films as eXistenZ, Videodrome and Crash tries to do something similar in A History of Violence, but with the reverse effect. He has such a reputation for taking his films in a suddenly unexpected direction that I kept expecting something suprising to happen, and I have to admit that it never really did. I suppose there's a 'twist', but it's at the beginning of the film and isn't really a twist since it's more or less the plot, which isn't particularly advanced, or suprising. In fact I think it might be the most striahgtforward plot I've seen this year. Even Unleashed had more depth.
The film is at its most interesting when it skirts around the issue of how violence propogates itself across a family, but this topic is only lightly touched on before we're returned to the main plot, which is not a huge departure from a dozen Carlito's Way-esque "Everytime I get out? They pull me back in!" gangster flicks I could name. It's a servicable one, but nothing a less talented director could have handled just as readily while Cronenberg was out expanding the limits of cinema.
The score was also a bit of a bugbear for me, for similar reasons. When Howard Shore was picked for the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, I was initially a bit wary precisely because he'd done such edgy work on films like Crash, Seven and eXistenZ- not exactly the sort of sound that would meld with Middle-Earth. However he aquitted himself admirably and did great work. But I could have sworn that the score to AHoV was out-takes from LotR. Same horns, same cues, same beats- combined with Aragorn right there on the screen I was constantly being musically whisked back to Gondor. It was very disconcerting.
In all, I'm pretty confused about the plaudits this film's been getting. It's a straightforward film with little depth and an unchallenging plot- hardly worth wasting Cronenberg's time on. Or mine.
This is a 
You know movies can be entertainment without having to be something life changing.
Yes, but they can't be entertaining without being interesting.
True, but you're the only person I know who did enjoy HoV. Everyone else thought it was a good movie and made them think and lingered a bit.
Oh, everyone else liked it? I'll have to change my opinion, then.
Wooh easy there. Just saying that perhaps your expectations for what the movie was trying to do (no wird twist were it turns out they are all part of a new ultra-violent computer game) meant that you were let down by your expectation, more than the movie.
I quite enjoyed not have an over convoluted plot and having a story told that was a fairly simple story, but also allowed for one to see the connections between people.
The movie lingered with me. That for me makes it a good movie.
Jeez, do I have to split you guys up AGAIN? One more comment out of either of you and I'm turning this blog around and we're all going home! Got it?
I thought the film had a dangerous edge, but I think part of that was knowing it MIGHT do something unexpected at any point. It never did, really. There wasn't enough story and I'm not sure Mr Cronenberg knew exactly what he was trying to say about violence being used to solve problems - or if he wanted to say anything at all. Which would be fine, but then the story needed to be better.
I aint scared of no moose.
I thought it was pretty average as well really...it had a few good bits in it but because everyone had told me how great it was, I was expecting something really mind-blowing. The problem is that no-one seems to be doing anything new these days (or at least Hollywood isn't). It's all remakes and old crappy ideas. And considering what a huge industry the film biz is, it's a bit disappointing!!! there's my rant he he