A History of Violence Poster
MOVIEmeter
Top 5000
Down 139 this week

A History of Violence (2005)

18 96 min  -  Crime | Drama | Thriller  -   30 September 2005 (USA)
7.6
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.6/10 from 112,522 users   Metascore: 81/100 
Reviews: 1,082 user | 417 critic | 37 from Metacritic.com

A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writers:

John Wagner (graphic novel), Vince Locke (graphic novel), and 1 more credit »
Watch Trailer
 Loading+Watchlist

Watch now

Buy it from Amazon »
LOVEFiLM

Related Lists

image of title
a list of 2,035 titles by k-gjorgjiev created 2 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 540 titles by Dr-Faustus created 03 May 2011
 
image of title
a list of 422 titles by eraser_imh created 11 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 1,177 titles by dev_leo created 4 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 302 titles by Hans Peter created 7 months ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Pre-Order the Kindle Fire
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 34 wins & 34 nominations See more awards »

Related Videos

A History of Violence -- A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core. A History of Violence -- Clip: Witness Protection A History of Violence -- A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Viggo Mortensen ...
Maria Bello ...
Ed Harris ...
William Hurt ...
Ashton Holmes ...
Peter MacNeill ...
Sheriff Sam Carney
Stephen McHattie ...
Greg Bryk ...
Billy
Kyle Schmid ...
Bobby Singer
Sumela Kay ...
Gerry Quigley Gerry Quigley ...
Mick
Deborah Drakeford Deborah Drakeford ...
Charlotte
Heidi Hayes Heidi Hayes ...
Sarah Stall
Aidan Devine ...
Charlie Roarke
Bill MacDonald Bill MacDonald ...
Frank Mulligan
Edit

Storyline

This is the story of a mild-mannered man, named Tom Stall, who becomes a local hero through an act of violence, he lives a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife and their two children in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana. But one night their idyllic existence is shattered when Tom foils a vicious attempted robbery in his diner. Sensing danger, he takes action and saves his customers and friends in the self-defense killings of two-sought-after criminals. Heralded as a hero, Tom's life is changed overnight, attracting a national media circus, which forces him into the spotlight. Uncomfortable with his newfound celebrity, Tom tries to return to the normalcy of his ordinary life only to be confronted by a mysterious and threatening man who arrives in town believing Tom is the man who wronged him in the past. As Tom and his family fight back against this case of mistaken identity and struggle to cope with their changed reality... Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Indiana | Robbery | Diner | Identity  | See more »

Taglines:

Tom Stall had the perfect life... until he became a hero. See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence, graphic sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Una historia violenta See more »

Filming Locations:

King City, Ontario, Canada See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$515,992 (USA) (25 September 2005) (14 Screens)

Gross:

$31,493,782 (USA) (5 February 2006)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

DTS  | Dolby Digital  | SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Thomas Jane and Harrison Ford turned down the role of Tom Stall. See more »

Goofs

Errors in geography: When Tom is driving from Indiana to Philadelphia, a sign in the highway lists the travel distances as "Indianapolis 36", "Columbus 247" and "Philadelphia 680". But Indianapolis in 170 miles west of Columbus and 585 miles from Philadelphia, so if he is 36 miles from Indianapolis, he's only 206 miles from Columbus and 611 miles from Philadelphia. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
William Orser: So we keep headin' east?
Leland Jones: Yeah, that's the idea.
William Orser: Stay out of the big cities?
Leland Jones: Uh-huh.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008) See more »

Soundtracks

"Life of a Fool"
Written by Paul Burch
Performed by Paul Burch
Courtesy of Bloodshot Records See more »