When you think of David Cronenberg, you get indelible images of exploding heads and intestines being ripped out and Jeff Goldblum choking on his own puss. This is the niche that Cronenberg has carved for himself over the last 35 years. He is as iconic in the horror field as anyone these days. But there is more to him that blood, guts and terror of from another world.

Violence is a part of us. Our entire civilization is built around it. Darwin knew it and then wrote about it and now we study his "isms". Survival of the fittest is the paradigm to which Darwin preaches. Back in the prehistoric days, humans hunted for food just like the animals of the wild do now. There was no industrialization, no retail boom and no McDonald's at every corner. Men hunted or they didn't eat. This survival was inherent in them and that has been passed down and now filtered throughout us as we can now kill without passion or prejudice by pressing a button. But once, long ago, that instinct existed in all of us. It might have been bottled up and stored away in many of us, but make no mistake about it, all of us, if the situation called for, might have the wherewithal to kill. We are all animals and all have that basic survival instinct.

David Cronenberg's A History of Violence is a multi layered, thought provoking film that explores many issues and then dissects them. This is perhaps one of the most fascinating films to be released since American Beauty. While about as diametric from American Beauty as one might think, it does explore some vaguely similar themes.

Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello are a typical small town American family in rural Indiana. They have two kids, one a teenager and one a precocious little angel of a girl. Tom owns the local diner that bears his family name, STALL. This is the kind of town where everyone knows each other and many visit the diner for a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. Edie Stall is a small town lawyer and together they seem like a happy average American family. Cronenberg paints a scintillating picture of the Stall's as they rekindle their relationship at the beginning of the film with some very suggestive and tangible sex scenes. This is tantamount to the film as it gives you the impression that this married couple have known each other intimately for years.

Everything seems to be going quite normally until one night just as Tom is closing up, two thugs come in and threaten the customers with rape and certain death. In an instant, Tom becomes the hero he never wanted to by killing the assailants. This seemed to come naturally to Tom and he saves everyone's life. This brings unwanted attention to him and his family as his past finally catches up to him.

Ed Harris is the big time mafia heavy who is sure that Tom Stall is really Joey Cusack from Philadelphia. Tom swears that he is not and he goes to great lengths to convince his family that he is just Tom Stall. Complicating matters is Tom's son is being picked on by the school bully and has avoided any violence by diffusing the situation with a quick tongue. But after witnessing his father's heroics, he lashes out at the school bully and almost kills him. The scene is so raw and pernicious in tone that it feels like you are watching a school yard fight. Cronenberg might not have exploding heads and ripped out intestines in the film, but the violence here is much more palatable and authentic.

Cronenberg has often explored themes that deal with violence and how it affects us. Dead Ringers had two very different twins who's lives are surrounded by it and in films like Scanners and Rabid and The Brood, violence is the epicenter of the film. In History of Violence, the violence here is indicative of the life once led. Which begs the question, can you really ever outrun your past? Can you really ever get away from what you once were? I think you can, but Cronenberg isn't so sure. The past always seems to haunt you and this is especially so in this film. I have always admired Cronenberg's work, from his early vomit induced efforts to his more mature and layered films like The Fly and Dead Zone. Cronenberg's vision is often soaked in blood but he always explores the proclivity to commit violence. The act is just the extension of the Darwin like state that exists in all of us. A History of Violence is a film that is about as violent as they come, but the violence is nothing more than the human condition that we are all conditioned with. It's not so much that Cronenberg is a more mature director than he was in the 70's. It's just that he has different things to say. While a film like Scanners might look like it was nothing more than an excuse to watch Michael Ironside's head explode, there were some interesting and judicious decisions in those films that explored the human condition and our propensity towards violence. A History of Violence not only explores that violence, but the human reaction to it. This is a fascinating film in every way.

Darwin would be proud.

Special Features

The DVD special features here are abundant. Being a "Platinum Series" release, New Line has also assembled a number of great extras for the film to add to this DVD. It starts with a great commentary track by David Cronenberg. The director is candid and very open about the film offering a lot of insight into the process of making the movie, but also discussing his general approach to filmmaking. Cronenberg fans will have to check out this commentary track.

Next up is "Acts Of Violence," a making of documentary that takes an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the production of the movie. Again, it is very candid and offers a wealth of information on the movie's making. Also included are three featurettes that are brief but interesting and informative. Overall, this is a very well put together DVD with a wealth of extras that will keep all DVD Loonies glued to their TV set.

Verdict: Spin It