A History of Violence
May 2006 Reviewed by: Randall Smith Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) has a cozy home with a nice family. He owns a diner on the main street of Millbrook, a small town where everyone knows his name. His two biggest problems are his old broken-down truck and the growing pains of his teenage son. Sounds like an all-American family man, doesn’t he? He’s not. A random event brings two men into Tom’s life to drive that point home. From that moment forward, Tom’s past comes rushing back.

A History of Violence on DVD tells an intense story with superior acting, all captured and delivered in exceptional video quality. The cinematographer uses color to contrast the simple life of Millbrook with the shocking events that occur. The bright-red blood spattered on faces and clothing, for example, stands out against the small-town setting in shocking contrast. There are no slow-motion action scenes, just real-to-life drama that could happen in your front yard.

The video is sharp throughout and never loses detail even in the darker scenes. The audio is equally impressive. While navigating through the setup options, you will find this phrase: "Audio Optimized for DVD. No Equalization Required." A pleasant surprise. Not many studios go to the trouble of optimizing sound for the home theater. As the movie starts, two men leave a motel room, and the sounds of cicadas and crickets filling the surround channels placed me in the scene as if it were any summer day and I was standing along the tree line. I didn’t appreciate this ambient sound effect in the theater. In contrast is the dynamic realism of the gunshots. Even though I knew the sound was coming, the quick bang still surprised me. During the action scenes, the DVD presentation of these gunshots is just as effective as the use of color for augmenting our shock. Dialogue is clear and equal in level to the rest of the soundtrack.

An hour-long behind-the-scenes documentary, directed by Carolyn Zeifman, explains that the film is told in nine different "acts." Most DVDs do not give viewers as much inside information as this extra does. Intimate details bring the audience closer to the filmmaking process, for example, David Cronenberg’s seemingly unorganized approach to filming or Viggo Mortensen’s way of bringing certain props to the set that make him feel closer to his character. Also included are director commentary, deleted scenes, and DVD-ROM features, but it is the singularly informative behind-the-scenes footage that earned these extras four popcorns.

I really enjoyed A History of Violence on DVD. The film adapted well to the home theater for many reasons, the best being New Line Cinema’s extra effort to optimize the audio. The plot needed little help, but the sound quality added a certain realism that made the film experience even more enjoyable in my home.

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