What age rating is A History of Violence?

In Spain, A History of Violence is not recommended for children under 18 years old.

When does A History of Violence come out in Spain?

A History of Violence hits Spanish theaters on October 21, 2005.

How much did A History of Violence gross?

A History of Violence grossed $61.5M worldwide on a budget of $32.0M.

What is A History of Violence based on?

A History of Violence is based on A History of Violence.

Where was A History of Violence filmed?

A History of Violence was filmed in Toronto.

A History of Violence

Name: A History of Violence
Director: David Cronenberg
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Released: 2005-09-23
Duration: 1 h 29 min
Rating: 7.2
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt, Ashton Holmes

2005

Become a fan of its genres:

7.2/10

Release Date

23/09/2005

Popularity

🍅 Rotten Tomatoes

88%

🎬 Internet Movie Database

74%

Ⓜ️ Metacritic

82%

Tom Stall owns a diner in Millbrook, a small town in Indiana. He leads a quiet life with Edie, his wife, and their two children, Jack and Sarah. An ordinary day at the diner is interrupted when two men walk in intending to rob the place. A waitress is threatened, and Tom has to react within seconds to protect everyone inside. Directed by David Cronenberg, the movie centers on an ordinary man who suddenly finds himself in a situation he never seemed prepared for. Viggo Mortensen plays Tom, and Maria Bello brings Edie to life.

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Facts about A History of Violence

Releases, age ratings, box office, post-credit scenes and more.

Post-credits sceneNone

Age ratingNot recommended for viewers under 18 years old

Spain releaseOctober 21, 2005

Worldwide premiereMay 16, 2005

Runtime1 h 29 min

Original languageEnglish

Original titleA History of Violence

CountriesGermany, United States

Production companiesNew Line Cinema, BenderSpink, Media I! Filmproduktion München & Company

Budget$32.0M

Worldwide box office$61.5M

Box office in the U.S.$31.5M

Return on investmentx1.9 Recouped the investment

Based onA History of Violence

Trailer views75K

More ratings

3.7/5Letterboxd72/100Trakt7.5/10Metacritic (público)3.5/4Roger Ebert

Awards for A History of Violence

2Oscar nominations

37total awards

84total nominations

Oscars 2 nom.

Awards won

—National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Nominations

2006Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
2006Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay

A History of Violence Cast

Viggo MortensenTom Stall / Joey Cusack

Maria BelloEdie Stall

Ed HarrisCarl Fogarty

William HurtRichie Cusack

Ashton HolmesJack Stall

Peter MacNeillSheriff Sam Carney

Stephen McHattieLeland

Greg BrykBilly

Kyle SchmidBobby

Sumela KayJudy Danvers

Gerry QuigleyMick

Deborah DrakefordCharlotte

Heidi HayesSarah Stall

Aidan DevineCharlie Roarke

Bill MacDonaldFrank Mulligan

Michelle McCreeJenny Wyeth

Ian MatthewsRuben

R.D. ReidPat

Morgan KellyBobby's Buddy

Martha ReillyShoe Saleswoman

Jason BarbeckRichie's Thug

Bruce BeatonRichie's Thug

Neven PajkicRichie's Thug

Brendan ConnorLocal TV Reporter

Nick AntonacciLocal TV Reporter

John WatsonBaseball Coach

Don AllisonTV Broadcaster

Brittany PayerMotel Girl

Mitch BoughsKid in Diner

April MullenKid in Diner

George KingHospital Well-Wisher

Shawn CampbellOrderly

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Cast of A History of Violence by the numbers

39average cast age in years

9years of age gap between the leads

25%women in the cast

11%women in the crew

The youngest in the main cast: Sumela Kay, age 19 at release. The oldest: Stephen McHattie, at 58.

Cast ages at release

Viggo Mortensen47 years old
Maria Bello38 years old
Ed Harris54 years old
William Hurt55 years old
Ashton Holmes27 years old
Stephen McHattie58 years old
Greg Bryk33 years old
Kyle Schmid21 years old
Sumela Kay19 years old

Cast heights

1.88 mWilliam Hurt
1.86 mPeter MacNeill
1.85 mGreg Bryk
1.80 mViggo Mortensen
1.80 mStephen McHattie
1.74 mAshton Holmes

Cast nationalities

Canada 3United States 2Denmark 1

Crew

AddressDavid Cronenberg
WritingJosh Olson
MusicHoward Shore
PhotographyPeter Suschitzky
EditingRonald Sanders
Production designCarol Spier
Costume designDenise Cronenberg
CastingDeirdre Bowen
Visual effectsDennis Berardi, Aaron Weintraub
ProductionChris Bender, J.C. Spink

Trivia about A History of Violence

Harrison Ford turned down the role of Tom Stall, which ultimately went to Viggo Mortensen.

Mortensen read the original version of Olson's script, about 120 pages long, and was very disappointed. He only accepted the role after meeting with Cronenberg, who, according to the actor, rewrote the script.

The movie earned 31.5 million dollars in the United States and 61.4 million worldwide during its theatrical run.

According to the Los Angeles Times, A History of Violence was the last major Hollywood movie released on VHS, not counting limited promotional editions.

In behind-the-scenes footage, Cronenberg expressed reservations about how similar a deleted scene, known as "Scene 44," was to his earlier work.

Mark Kermode, film critic for the BBC, named it the best movie of 2005.

In 2025, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 33 on its list of the 100 greatest movies of the 21st century.

While filming the first bar scene with Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen couldn't stop laughing, and the scene had to be redone several times; the take used was shot with Harris in his underwear, hidden behind the table.

Sources: Wikipedia (English)

Before and After

Part ofBBC's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century

What it's about A History of Violence

small townherorobberyindiana, usadistrustphiladelphia, pennsylvaniadual identitydouble lifefightidentityself-defensemarriagedinermistaken identityfamily relationshipsirish mobrevengemobsterlawyerattempted robberybased on graphic novel

Main theme: organized crime

What A History of Violence is called in other countries

It was released in 28 countries, each in its own language.

SpainUna historia de violencia
MexicoUna Historia Violenta
BrazilMarcas da Violência
PortugalUma História de Violência
Japanヒストリー・オブ・バイオレンス
South Korea폭력의 역사
China暴力史
RussiaИстория насилия
AzerbaijanŞiddətin Tarixi
BulgariaТъмно минало
CanadaUne histoire de violence
CroatiaPovijest nasilja

See the remaining 16 countries

CzechiaDějiny násilí
GreeceΤο Τέλος της Βίας
Hong Kong暴力效應
HungaryErőszakos múlt
Israelהיסטוריה של אלימות
LatviaVardarbības pēctecība
LithuaniaSmurto istorija
PolandHistoria przemocy
RomaniaO istorie a violenței
SerbiaИсторија насиља
SlovakiaHistória násilia
Taiwan暴力效應
Thailandคนประวัติเดือด
TurkeyŞiddetin Tarihçesi
UkraineВиправдана жорстокість
VietnamQuá Khứ Tội Ác

Where it was filmed A History of Violence

FilmingWhere the story takes place

Filming locations

Where the Story Takes Place

Quotes by A History of Violence

You should ask Tom... how come he's so good at killing people?
If I rob Mulligan's pharmacy, are you going to whack me if I don't give you a piece of the action?
[After his guys fail to kill Tom] How do you fuck that up?
Still crazy fucking Joey.
Who is your daddy, and what does he do?
[About Fogerty] You took his eye. Jesus Joey, you took his eye! Barbed wire, wasn't it?

Source: Wikiquote (CC BY-SA)