Definitions for "History of Violence"
a bloody genre piece that also functions as a savvy enquiry into the nature of violence and, as the director said at the Monday press conference, "its impact on society, families and human bodies
a challenging, thought-provoking, superbly acted and brilliantly written thriller that is, in a word, unmissable
a concerto of elements that keep you off-balance with recurring danger and bursts of startling violence that have unexpected origins, unforeseen results and far-reaching consequences for Tom, his family and his long-blissful marriage
a bad film or an irresponsible film
a complicated, entertaining film that captivates, and rewards the attentive viewer with good cinema
a damn fine film
a fascinating, albeit deeply flawed, work that never lives up to its full potential
an incredibly fascinating glimpse into the deconstruction of a family and an even more enthralling look at the price of heroism
a portrayal of redneck American bloodletting, "Sin City" with Bruce Willis needs no further explanation, and "Don't Come Knocking" is about an over-the-hill Western hero's steep fall with alcohol and drugs
Keywords:  flick, brutal, americana, damn, imagery
a damn good flick of brutality and americana
an intense psychological-action that blends character depth with intense, brutal imagery
a solid flick
Keywords:  novel, town, story, brotherly, wagner
a graphic novel by john wagner
a hollow story from an empty graphic novel
an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same title
a perceptive tale of the true nature of man
a shocking cautionary tale as well as a
Keywords:  cleverly, told
a cleverly told "what if
Keywords:  rarity, hollywood
a rarity for Hollywood
a book fully of extremely average looking characters
a character study of people and the choices they make
an expertly staged character study anchored by a charismatic cinema idol that is at his best playing character roles
a bit of a departure for him, in that it doesn't include any kind of fantastic or science-fiction elements
a series of poems where a criminal mind remembers the night and we as readers almost have to put it together for him
a recent example of a very pragmatic screenplay
Keywords:  auteurist, leap, thing, faith, explains
a good thing
a leap of auteurist faith, in a way, but I think it explains a few things
a stunningly intelligent picture
a slowly evolving, crafty suspense that toys with your expectations
Keywords:  wonderful, example
a wonderful example
Keywords:  welcome, return, form
a welcome return to form
a turning point in the director's controversial career
Keywords:  hyper, version, real
a hyper-real version of
Keywords:  gem, seeking, worth, little, well
a little gem, well worth seeking out
Keywords:  vital, work, break, timely
a break from his past work
a timely and vital work
Keywords:  disaster, total, around
a total disaster all around
Keywords:  master, editing, class
a master class in editing
Keywords:  great, reason
a great reason why