For an actor who rejected Fox’s X-Men and prefers exploring diverse roles instead of seeking out roles in major franchises, it’s easy to see why Viggo Mortensen hasn’t been at the forefront of a traditional superhero movie. Same goes for David Cronenberg, as like most revered auteurs, he doesn’t exactly share a high opinion of superhero movies.

However, back in the early 2000s, the duo joined forces to headline the DC adaptation, A History of Violence, arguably one of their best works to date.

Viggo Mortensen’s revered A History of Violence was based on a DC comic

Viggo Mortensen in A History of Violence | Credit: New Line Cinema

While a departure from more traditional comic book movies, like Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies, A History of Violence is a CBM nonetheless. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence debuted under DC’s Vertigo imprint, known for exploring more dark and mature storylines, which is right up Cronenberg’s alley.

Related: “Death is the basis of all horror”: Jeff Goldblum’s Best Movie Was Never About AIDS After David Cronenberg Set the Record Straight

Starring Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall, the story follows the gradual unmasking of his character’s past as Joey Cusack, who struggles to escape his past after a violent incident brings him to the attention of his former associates. The movie’s exploration of violence and identity is something that few CBMs in the current climate have come close to matching.

Interestingly, James Gunn, the current DC head, named the movie among one of his favorite comic book movies, and it’s easy to see why, even though it varies heavily from its source material.

David Cronenberg’s decision to skip one core storyline from the comic benefited the adaptation

Although in most cases, straying away from the source material rarely inspires confidence from an adaptation, in A History of Violence‘s case, David Cronenberg knew exactly what he was doing. For the unversed, the original graphic novel featured a core storyline that delved into Tom’s past as Joey, which involved one heist with his brother Richie, whom we don’t see until the final minutes of the adaptation.

Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall | Credit: New Line Cinema

In the movie, Cronenberg entirely skips through this explicit depiction of Tom’s past, which makes the revelation of Joey’s violence in the end all the more unsettling. Cronenberg’s decision to withhold Tom’s past from the viewers added to its intensity as a psychological thriller, as, like his family, we, the audience, remain unsure about his true nature until the very end.

Related: Viggo Mortensen Almost Refused ‘A History of Violence’ Before David Cronenberg Changed His Mind: ‘It was 120-odd pages of mayhem’

From Tom’s confrontation with his wife in the hospital to his face-off with his brother in the end, the scenes in question wouldn’t have had the same weight had the audience already been well-versed with his past.

While it’s hard to imagine either of them working on a comic book adaptation in the current climate, for fans who are craving something in the same vein as A History of Violence, Eastern Promises might be right up your alley.

A History of Violence is currently available to rent on Apple TV (USA).
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire