A History of Violence Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

A History of Violence Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 29, 2025

David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" (2005) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with screenwriter Josh Olson; archival audio commentary by David Cronenberg; archival documentary on the making of the film; footage from the Cannes Film Festival; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Indiana man

David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence delivers the same message Jose Giovanni’s Boomerang does. A criminal who lives long enough to rethink his lifestyle and gather the courage to walk away from it is scarred forever by his past. It is irrelevant how hard the criminal attempts to become a new man. Sooner or later, his past will boomerang and reinsert itself into his life.

In the sleepy town of Millbrook, Indiana, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) leads a simple, seemingly perfect life. He owns a small diner and makes enough to feed his family. His wife, Edie (Maria Bello), loves him, has a flexible job, and looks after their teenage son and younger daughter. They have a small but perfect home, far enough from the nearest neighbors to make it appear as if it were on a private island.

But on a day like any other day, Stall unexpectedly becomes a local hero, and his seemingly perfect life is instantly and irreversibly shattered. It happens after a couple of traveling killers (Greg Bryk, Stephen McHattie) enter the diner, threatening to expand their legacy, and Stall, much to the dismay of his employees and a few customers, expertly takes out both. A day later, Stall is then visited by a couple of out-of-towners, and one of them, a man with an ugly facial scar and a permanently damaged eye (Ed Harris), engages him, insisting that his real name is Joey and implying they have a history from years back in Philadelphia. Initially, Stall politely brushes off the visitor, telling him that he has made a mistake, but when his persistence threatens the safety of his family, he engages him, and all hell breaks loose.

The narrative is broken into three acts, each revealing a different side of Stall's quickly evolving identity. Unfortunately, all three acts are riddled with seemingly countless cliches that create various ridiculous situations, and as Stall moves through them, dodging different threats, it routinely looks as if someone is gauging Mortensen’s ability to protect his integrity. It is difficult to watch at times because Mortensen’s lines and long facial expressions are rarely effective in revealing the consequences of the supposedly intense internal psychological battle that Stall is trying to win while facing enemies from his past. Needless to say, in all three acts, there are artificial contrasts galore.

The finale is impossible to describe as anything but comical. William Hurt emerges as a supposedly tough crime boss from Philadelphia who behaves as if he is expected to earn a spot in an upcoming Quentin Tarantino project. Mortensen confronts him, but seemingly while following instructions to leave a lasting impression in an impeccably realistic, unforgettably mean project. The disconnect is so obvious that it makes the finale look like an extract from a parody, repeatedly edited by different people with different ideas about how it should wrap up the film.

There is graphic material that does not add anything of value, but this is to be expected given Cronenberg’s involvement.

*Two slightly different versions of the film exist. However, the short footage that makes them unique features only alternate and ultimately meaningless shots, which Cronenberg addresses in an archival program. This release presents a new 4K makeover of the International Version.

A History of Violence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, A History of Violence arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"Supervised by director of photography Peter Suschitzky and approved by director David Cronenberg, this new 4K restoration was created from the 35mm original camera negative and a 2K digital intermediate. The original 5.1 soundtrack was remastered from the digital master audio files.

Mastering supervisors: Lee Kline, Giles Sherwood.
Colorist: Greg Fisher/Company 3, London.
Image restoration: Prasad Corporation, Burbank, California.
Audio restoration: The Criterion Collection."

In America, A History of Violence made its high-definition debut with this Blu-ray release in 2009, which was sourced from a very problematic master overwhelmed with issues that were quite common on some older DVD releases. Criterion's Blu-ray release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover that is easy to describe as a substantial upgrade. However, while it produces dramatically healthier and more attractive visuals, the majority of which look equally impressive in native 4K on this combo pack release and in 1080p, it also alters the native appearance of different parts of the film. Now, outdoor footage favors a soft/creamy yellow that overwhelms and/or eliminates some primaries and nuances that were visible on the film's theatrical presentation. Primary blue and different ranges of grays are affected the most, but some darker nuances in darker indoor and nighttime footage are also impacted. All of these changes provide the entire film with a much warmer, somewhat artificially stylized, new appearance. Delineation, clarity, and depth remain very impressive throughout the entire film. Also, the density levels of these visuals are outstanding. The entire film looks spotless. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

A History of Violence Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I spent time with the native 4K and 1080p presentations of A History of Violence on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. The comments below are from our review of the combo pack release.

The lossless 5.1 track enhances numerous seemingly random sounds and noises -- like the crushing bones in one of the edited bits that David Cronenberg discusses -- incredibly well, so there is a great deal of variety that audiophiles will surely appreciate. The action footage where rifles and guns are fired sounds terrific as well. Howard Shore's music adds to the desired atmosphere in some places, but its role remains supportive. I did not notice any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

A History of Violence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this archival commentary, David Cronenberg explains in great detail how various sequences from A History of Violence were shot, why certain editing choices were made, and how key contrasts in the narrative are managed. Cronenberg also has some interesting observations about Viggo Mortensen's character, and specifically his body language and facial expressions, and specific lensing choices he made not to give up too much of Joey's personality, as well as why violence and sex are portrayed in the film in a specific manner. The commentary was recorded in 2005.

• Josh Olson with Tom Bernardo - in this new program, writer-producer Tom Bernardo and screenwriter Josh Olson discuss John Wagner's graphic novel that inspired A History of Violence. Olson also comments on the evolution of its characters and their representation in his screenplay. The program was produced for Criterion in 2025. In English, not subtitled. (33 min).

• Acts of Violence - this archival documentary takes a closer look at the production of A History of Violence. Included in it are clips from interviews with David Cronenberg, screenwriter Josh Olson, cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, Viggo Mortensen, Stephen McHattie, and Greg Bryk, amongst others. The documentary was produced by Carolyn Zeifman in 2005. In English, not subtitled. (67 min).

• David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen - presented here is a filmed excerpt from an interview with David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen conducted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. Cronenberg and Mortensen discuss their professional relationship and collaboration on A History of Violence. In English, not subtitled. (34 min).

• Too Commercial for Cannes - a short program about David Cronenberg's trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where A History of Violence was nominated for the Palme d'Or. The program was produced by Carolyn Zeifman in 2006. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Scene 44 - presented here is a scene that David Cronenberg chose not to include in the final version of A History of Violence. In the original commentary, Cronenberg discusses why, while the featurette documents the shooting of the scene. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• The Unmaking of Scene 44 - presented here is raw footage from the shooting of the scene, with David Cronenberg, Ed Harris, and producer Chris Bender are seen commenting on it. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• On the Versions - in this short archival program, David Cronenberg comments on the small changes that exist between the European and North American versions of A History of Violence. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for A History of Violence. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Nathan Lee's essay "Dead in the Eye", as well as technical credits.

A History of Violence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The two conventional crime films David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen have made, A History of Violence and Eastern Promises, are odd, even perplexing misfires. They are packed with good actors but produce characters looking like caricatures that usually roam free in genre parodies of the kind Quentin Tarantino loves to direct. This is a big problem because both are supposed to be gritty and, more importantly, authentic crime films. Criterion's Blu-ray release brings a much-needed 4K makeover of A History of Violence, supervised by cinematographer Peter Suschitzky and approved by Cronenberg. However, those who went to see the film theatrically will quickly discover that the 4K makeover is, in some ways, a revisionist presentation of it.