Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello star in A History of Violence
by George Anastasia, Glen Macnow
Joey Cusack was the nastiest guy in Philadelphia's Irish mob. He killed dozens, sometimes without the go-ahead from his bosses. Had a real vicious side. Carved up a made man with barbed wire once, scraping out his eye.
And then, he wanted out. But you can't opt out of the mob. So Joey Cusack disappeared. Walked into the desert and emerged three years later as a whole new man. Literally.
That's the setup for this fine movie. But the story, of course, is that you can never escape your past. History always catches up—specifically, in this case, a history of violence.
Early in the movie, you get no hints that actor Viggo Mortensen's character was once that brutal mobster. Instead, he is the ultimate Middle American—mild Tom Stall who runs a friendly diner in small-town Indiana. He ties on an apron each morning, serves up pie and smiles at customers' stories. At home, there's pretty wife Edie (Maria Bello), an angst-filled teenaged son and an adorable six-year-old daughter. One night, he comforts the girl after a nightmare, telling her, "There's no such thing as monsters."
Read Rest Here on California Literary Review
.jpg)
