Top Movies of the Decade #72

72.  A History of Violence

There are a ton of movies out there about the objectification of women, and the conflicting expectation placed upon them by society — as well there should be; sexism is a very real problem.   There are few movies that explore the objectification and expectations placed upon men — and even fewer, if any, that do it as well as “A History of Violence.”    This is no talky intellectual piece, but an action film that ought to call into question everything you know, or think you know, about action films.

Viggo Mortensen plays a small-town devoted father and husband whose violent past comes back to haunt him.    So far, so cliche.   But far more interesting than Mortensen’s battles with the bad guys are the ways his wife, family, and community respond to the discovery that he may not be the man they thought he was.   Are we repulsed or attracted by violence and violent men?  Or both?   How does one escape a history of violence?   Though it abandons the pressing questions and devolves into a standard action flick by the end, “A History of Violence” is a powerful exploration of a seldom talked about issue in our society.