Movie - A History of Violence

A History of Violence
Rated R

3 Stars with exception

(WARNING: Spoiler and Sensitive Material in this review)
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Movie Gallery’s website says of this movie “Rated R for strong brutal violence, graphic sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use.” The movie starts off slow. There are two men leaving a hotel, and you are shown what they have done there. Then you go to the main character and his family. He is shown to be a loving father and husband. He runs a diner where the small town’s people know, love, and respect him. The two men from the beginning of the movie show up with bad intent and he handles things. This makes him a reluctant hero. With this heroism comes the press, killing the two murders is big news. This brings people from his past. I am not sure if the main character chose to become someone else, or if does actually have MPD. You can see a difference in the two main characters within the one man most of the time. One of his personalities – or the person he was in his old life – is quick and good at killing. The other is a loving gentle man and we see an “act” of that love. The violence shown in the movie is graphic. This is NOT a movie for those with a weak stomach. There is intent to rape and a rape that turns consensual. If you are able to put up with all that, the story line itself was pretty good. The ending left you wondering. It was left too open. I found myself yelling at the TV “So!!!! What happens next?” Wondering if he stays, goes, has she split, do they move on like nothing happened, is the violent one gone again, what?
3 stars with exception means the story line and acting was pretty good, but I don’t think I could sit through it again.
I feel I have to add this: I don’t think movie was so much about a person with MPD, or trying to start over, as it was about not really knowing a person or not being able to completely run from our past.

KFR- None. No. What I said in the review should explain that this is not a kid friendly movie.