In a nation where anyone can carry a gun, it's not easy to distance oneself from violence. At least according to Canadian-born director David Cronenberg (The Fly, Dead Ringers). In this, the director's twentieth film, partially based on the eponymous graphic novel by John Wagner, Cronenberg focuses on the family, whereas Wagner focused on the mob. The film relates the story of the small town owner of a diner, who's thrust into the spotlight after killing (in self-defense) two thugs. In no time, his quiet home life becomes a cycle of ever-more-vicious ultra-violence. With the director posing the question (among others): how much carnage is necessary to protect one's family from harm? Though made with a relatively small budget, History is a prime example of Cronenberg's cinematic audacity and intelligence; he demonstrates the ease with which "normal" people can fall into a spiral of violence, and how it provides an all too easy answer to life's complications. The film itself is full of violence–excessive, quick and intimate, though never exploitative. This straight-forward modern tale, supported by a superb cast (Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt), won several awards, from NY to LA, and the 63-year-old director's hometown (2005 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards for Best Director and Best Picture and Best Canadian Film).
New Line Cinema

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue



(c) that's Guangzhou
Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
May 2006 issue