CRITERION SESSIONS: A History Of Violence w/ Drew Taylor

Hang onto your slipcases, because Blake Howard and critic and podcaster Drew Taylor discuss the provocation and conflict of David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence.

In David Cronenberg’s subtly provocative film, one of his most celebrated, all is not as it initially seems. In his first of many collaborations with the director, Viggo Mortensen delivers a highly nuanced performance as Tom Stall, a small-town husband and father who is hailed as a hero when he kills the would-be perpetrators of a violent robbery. But how did this ordinary family man dispatch them with such skill? Working with an exceptional cast that also includes Maria Bello, Ed Harris, and William Hurt, Cronenberg slyly deconstructs the mythos of the American action hero, posing elemental questions about identity, human nature, and the violence that we both abhor and can’t look away from.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration of the international cut, supervised by director of photography Peter Suschitzky and approved by director David Cronenberg, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• Audio commentary featuring Cronenberg
• New interview with screenwriter Josh Olson, conducted by writer-producer Tom Bernardo
• Excerpts of Cronenberg and actor Viggo Mortensen in conversation at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival
• Acts of Violence, a documentary on the making of the film, featuring behind-the-scenes footage
• Three featurettes
• Deleted scene with commentary by Cronenberg
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by critic Nathan Lee
• New cover by Connor Willumsen

DREW TAYLOR is a reporter for The Wrap. He has written for The New York Times, Vulture, Vanity Fair, The Playlist, and Collider. He also wrote The Art of Onward, which gives an inside look at the making of the 2020 Pixar film. The book is available to purchase here. He also co-hosts a weekly podcast about animation called Fine Tooning, which is available on all podcast platforms.

Twitter: @drewtailored

Instagram: @drewtailored

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