..Gary
Dretzka
..Noah
Forrest
..Leonard
Klady
..R.J.
Matson
..David
Poland
..Douglas
Pratt
..Ray
Pride
..Michael
Wilmington
A History
of Violence
David Cronenberg's most normal movie ever, A History of Violence, is being released by New Line Home Entertainment as a Platinum Series title (N10095, $29). The gore is heavy, the sex is fantastic and for once, Cronenberg delivers such pleasures without getting weird on the viewer. Viggo Mortensen stars as a family man living in the Midwest who is pestered by gangsters that believe he is someone else. Ed Harris and William Hurt play the gangsters, and Hurt enlivens the pace of the film's final act in a manner that no script could possibly anticipate. For the rest of the film, Maria Bello, as the hero's wife, provides an ideal energy to counteract the stoicism of Mortensen's character. The sequences involving the hero's children don't always ring true (the school bully is played by an actor who is clearly in his twenties), and there is that nagging feeling that the Canadian locations aren't Indiana, but otherwise the film is an outstanding accomplishment. It delivers the entertainment of a well-made thriller, but reaches for and achieves more, primarily through the editing, using the film as a reflection upon the violent undercurrent of American society, and human nature, without spoiling the rhythm of the suspense.The picture is presented in letterboxed format only, with an aspect ratio of about 1.85:1 and an accommodation for enhanced 16:9 playback. The color transfer is excellent, and the sharpness and depth of the image adds to the resonance of each lingering shot. The 5.1-channel Dolby Digital sound is effectively invisible, sustaining the movie's atmosphere without calling attention to itself. There are optional English and Spanish subtitles, a 3-minute deleted dream sequence where Cronenberg was reverting back to his normal self, a nice 7-minute segment about shooting that sequence, a minute-long piece on a couple of gore shots that were left out of the American theatrical release, a good 66-minute production documentary, and an interesting 9-minute segment about taking the movie to Cannes. Cronenberg also supplies a commentary track, mostly talking the viewer through his understanding of the story, which is sufficiently insightful to hold one's interest. Take, for example, what he has to say about a baseball game the hero's son is participating in: "Initially, there was a little problem with the color of the shirts. [The bully's] team was in yellow. I felt that the blue was more aggressive and much more suited to the bully and his team. So, there was a moment of panic, where all the kids were swapping shirts, just before we started to shoot. But I really felt there was that color symbolism. You know, the yellow shirt is weaker, somehow, and is imbedded in our language. When you say someone is yellow, you mean he's cowardly."
March 24, 2006
DVD Roundup: This Week's DVD Releases
The Review VaultDouglas Pratt's DVD-Laser Disc Newsletter is published monthly.
For a free sample, call (516)594-9304 or go to his website at www.DVDLaser.com
