Everything about A History Of Violence totally explained
A History of Violence is a
graphic novel written by
John Wagner and illustrated by
Vince Locke, originally published in
1997 by
Paradox Press and later by
Vertigo Comics, both divisions of
DC Comics.
It is also the source for the
film of the same name directed by
David Cronenberg, the first cinematic adaption of a work by
John Wagner since
1995's
Judge Dredd.
Plot summary
The story concerns a small town
Michigan cafe owner, Tom McKenna, who becomes a local hero after defending his store from an attempted robbery. When his story receives national attention, several members of the
New York City Mafia arrive in town, believing him to be someone named Joey, who crossed them 20 years earlier. Tom protests his innocence to everyone, but eventually his façade is dropped and he's forced to reveal his history of violence to his wife and son and eventually the police.
Namely, he and his friend performed a spectacular assassination and robbery of mobsters in their youth in retaliation for the murder of a relative. Unfortunately, Tom's friend foolishly decided to flaunt his booty, which allowed the mob to identify him as one of the assailants and abduct him for revenge. Meanwhile, Tom barely escaped the same fate and fled the city with the intent of starting over with a new identity.
Fortunately for McKenna and his family, their lawyer arrives and learns that the detectives failed to
mirandize the family man, which makes the whole confession inadmissible in court. However, as the McKenna family is transported to the father's original city to deal with related legal matters, the mobsters learn of McKenna's detention and plan their revenge with a horrific surprise.
Film adaptation
In
2005 the novel was adapted into a film by
David Cronenberg, starring
Viggo Mortensen.
While the first half of the film is faithful to the source, the remainder of the film takes many liberties with the story. Some changes are relatively minor (in the film, the main character's name is Tom Stall, he lives in
Indiana and the gangsters pursuing him are from
Philadelphia), the main character's brother, played by
William Hurt, bears virtually no resemblance to the corresponding character in the graphic novel.
Although criticized for its graphic violence, the film's reviews were largely favorable and it garnered recognition at the
Cannes Film Festival, as well as
Academy Award nominations for Hurt (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role) and writer
Josh Olson (Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published).
Further Information
Get more info on 'A History Of Violence'.
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