Cronenberg excels with ‘A History of Violence’

Rated: R

David Cronenberg’s oeuvre is filled with stylized violence, shockingly bizarre scenes and a hefty amount of “gooey” visuals. A man gets his head flattened by a freight elevator in “The Fly;” several characters in “Scanners” meet their fate as their heads explode; and nearly every scene in “Naked Lunch” is decorated with oozing, wet and disturbing imagery.

Cronenberg’s latest work, “A History of Violence,” borrows much from the David Lynch playbook. Lynch has many times taken a seemingly bucolic setting (“Twin Peaks,” “Blue Velvet”) and made it increasingly disturbing as the surface layers are slowly peeled away.

Cronenberg takes his sweet (and painful) time in revealing what lies beneath the happy and normal life led by diner owner Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) and his family in Millbrook, Ind., a sleepy little “everytown.”

Tom’s a happy man. The diner does well. His kids seem fine. His wife Edie (Maria Bello) obviously adores him. In an early scene we see that the spark is still alive in their marriage when Edie dons a cheerleader outfit and seduces her husband. It’s a funny, sexy scene, one of many that lets the viewer know all is well in Millbrook.

We also know – from the film’s prologue – that this peaceful setting is all about to change.

One night at closing time, two strangers come in the diner. Tom politely tells the pair he’s closing. That’s the wrong thing to say to men we already know have no qualms about committing senseless murder. The situation gets out of hand. Tom jumps over the counter, grabs a gun from one of the thugs and quickly kills them both.

He’s hailed as a hero and even makes it to the national news.

This is an unfortunate turn of events.

The next group of strangers who come to the diner is lead by a mob-connected tough named Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris). Years back, Carl was blinded in one eye by a man named Joey Cusack. Carl says Tom and Joey are one and the same.

Tom, despite his recent actions, is a mild-mannered man. He assures Carl it must be a case of mistaken identity. This sets up a plot device perfected by Alfred Hitchcock: The “Wrong Man” syndrome.

Carl persists. Tom’s family begins to wonder if there’s any truth to what Carl is saying. Tensions build.

Carl and company end up dead.

As the movie progresses, Cronenberg and screenwriter Josh Olson slowly reveal the pertinent facts of the past. I’ve decided not to reveal any more information than necessary. Much of the film’s power lies in the sheer uneasiness of not knowing who’s who or what’s what.

A subplot involving Tom’s son unfolds in parallel to the main story. As easygoing as his dad, Jack Stall (Ashton Holmes), continually turns the other cheek to a bully who constantly harassing him at school. After his dad’s heroic actions, Jack finds something in himself he never knew was there and takes matters in hand.

The subtext of “A History of Violence” runs deep. The title refers not only to the plot of the film but to the state of mankind – and ultimately – to the collective psyche of the human race.

Cronenberg uses this story as a metaphor for Darwin’s theory of “natural selection/survival of the fittest.” He, like Lynch and Tim Burton, has a dark sense of humor. There were many outbursts of audience laughter when I saw the film, most of them underscored by a sense of uncomfortable realization.

In short, Cronenberg has tapped into one of the primal instincts of the human race. He manages to uncover many things few of us ever are willing to face.

This film, like “Sin City” and “Batman Begins,” is based on a “graphic novel.” It’s a genre that is gritty and unapologetic and usually translates easily to film.

Cronenberg keeps “A History of Violence” – in tone if not exactly following the script of the novel – true to the source. There are scenes straight out of the comic book realm: Overstated mundanity, paint-by-numbers violence and an uncomfortable (in more ways than one) staircase sexual encounter.

The opening act – and its serenity – makes the viewer nervous and appropriately so. The fulfillment of the promise established therein results in a film that will make viewers think about their own capabilities – and their very natures – long after leaving the theater.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.