One of David Cronenberg’s Best Movies Is Actually Based on a DC Graphic Novel

David Cronenberg is easily one of the most innovative filmmakers within the body horror genre, as his work on classics like Scanners, The Brood, The Fly, and Dead Ringers and more made him so prominent that the term “Cronenbergian” has often been utilized to describe similar work. There are certainly many innovative filmmakers who have played around with elements of body horror, but Cronenberg’s aptitude for telling rich human dramas with an undercurrent of political satire distinguished him as an artist who could never be accused of putting “style of substance.” Cronenberg is an original voice responsible for creating many great characters, but he’s often been at his best when working with previously established material and molding it in his own image. In fact, one of Cronenberg’s best movies to date is based on the DC graphic novel A History of Violence.

The notion of an artist of Cronenberg’s caliber making a comic book movie may have felt cynical had it happened today, but 2005 was a very different period for the industry where the general backlash against superhero movies hadn’t set in yet. Although there hadn’t been many strong adaptations of DC comics after the failures of Batman & Robin and Catwoman, films like Ang Lee’s Hulk, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, and Bryan Singer’s X-Men proved that auteur filmmakers were capable of taking the genre seriously. Cronenberg certainly delivered the intensity and emotional complexity that one would expect from one of his latest projects, as A History of Violence is a chilling crime film that analyzes the mythology of hitman movies.

What Is ‘A History of Violence’ About?

Based on the acclaimed graphic novel of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence centers on a former hitman who has found a new life for himself as a bartender in Millbrook, Indiana. Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) isn’t necessarily a hometown hero, but he’s one of the community’s more respected members, as his role at a local bar makes him a seemingly permanent fixture in many people’s lives. Tom has managed to mask any allusions to his past from his wife, Edie (Maria Bello), and their children, Jack (Ashton Holmes) and Sarah (Heidi Hayes). However, an attempt by two local robbers forces Tom to utilize his former skills and protect the local attendees. Although he is successful in taking down the assailants and hailed as a hero by his friends in the community, Tom realizes that his identity has been exposed when the gangster Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) begins impeding on his family life.

The brilliance of A History of Violence is that it is not a traditional action movie, even if Cronenberg includes a few particularly memorable fight scenes that serve as a reminder of why he is one of cinema’s most visceral storytellers. The crux of the film’s tension revolves around how much of the truth that Tom is willing to admit to his family, and how it causes them to reassess their relationships. The heartbreaking truth that Cronenberg points out is that Tom genuinely does love his family and wants to be a better man, and that the lies were only told to spare them pain. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for Edie to completely trust anything that her husband says because he has been lying to her about so much of his past. One of the film’s most powerful subplots involves Tom trying to intervene when Jack fights against bullies at school. Although Tom desperately tries to point out that hitting people is by no means a way to solve an issue, Jack can only laugh at his father and point out how hypocritical he sounds.

‘A History of Violence’ Is a Complex Analysis of Revenge

A History of Violence is different from other revenge movies because it questions whether vengeance is a reward. With the rumors and stories about Tom flying around, he is forced to head to Philadelphia to face off with his brother, Richie Cusack (William Hurt), a powerful gangster who runs a local crime syndicate. What’s fascinating is that Tom himself has no desire for revenge. He willfully left this life because of the emotional burden it took on him. While defeating Richie and his gang may allow Tom to rest easy and know that his family is no longer being actively threatened, it also forces him to unleash a dark side that he has long since repressed. Cronenberg is a savvy enough filmmaker to leave Tom’s emotional reckoning with his actions to be ambiguous.

A History of Violence is smart in that it saves a majority of its action for the final act, in which Tom unleashes his brutality on Richie. This is important because it would be impossible for the viewer to form an objective understanding of Tom’s life if he had been shown in his full ruthlessness from the beginning. After seeing him as a loving paternal figure who genuinely has his family’s best interests in mind, watching Tom move with the experience of a veteran assassin is far more chilling.

How Does ‘A History of Violence’ Differ From Other Graphic Novel Movies?

Like most comic book movies that are released today, A History of Violence varies quite significantly from the source material. The graphic novel includes several flashbacks that examine the previous relationship between Tom and Richie, including a heist sequence that is nonexistent in the film. Considering that A History of Violence is a fairly short film, it’s impressive that Cronenberg was able to condense the material while still retaining the integrity of the original intent. The film even earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, a rarity for a comic book-inspired project.

The success of A History of Violence led to the development of other graphic novel adaptations that weren’t exclusively based on superheroes. Although Sam Mendes’ adaptation of Road to Perdition had been popular a few years prior, A History of Violence was followed by other DC films aimed at more mature viewers, including V for Vendetta, Watchmen, and Red. Although it was the last comic book film that Cronenberg did, he did reunite with Mortensen to work on another intense gangster film with the 2007 masterpiece Eastern Promises. Yet one of Cronenberg’s most brutal and beloved films will always be this adaptation of a DC graphic novel.

A History of Violence is available to rent on Amazon in the U.S.

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