A History of Violence

Went to see the latest David Cronenberg movie tonight and it was solid! The plot was way more approachable than a lot of what Cronenberg has done lately, but compared to adaptations of Naked Lunch and Crash that's not saying a whole lot. It's the story of Tom Stall, who has to defend the diner he owns in podunk Indiana from some criminals and draws the attention of some more Bad Men who think they know him. Cronenberg doesn't skimp on the gore (which has gotten more realistic than his earlier work) and the kinky sex scenes. But the pacing is kind of slow, in a deliberate sense. Things are very matter of fact and then BAM, craziness happens. There is some humor (some people were laughing at weird spots during the movie, not sure what that was about) and irony even. I think the idea of the movie is that Tom Stall represents our society: He wants a quiet, peaceful existence, but has the ability to be savagely brutal, even as he denies that he has this ability.