Posted by Mr. Beaks ;

; The critics are wrong when they say David Cronenberg has made the most accessible film of his career with A History of Violence.; This is for two reasons:; 1) The Dead Zone and The Fly were much easier sells by virtue of their overt pulp origins (note that “overt” qualifier!), and 2) this latest film’s downward spiral into repugnant violence hinges on a completely defensible act of self-defense.; And since “righteous vengeance” is the new “free love” in

America, I can imagine a majority of viewers in this country balking at Cronenberg’s latest exploration of man’s darkest impulses.; Imagine if, in To Kill a Mockingbird, you found out Atticus Finch honed his marksmanship by sniping defenseless Cuban children during the Spanish American War, and you’ve got an idea of this film’s subversive intentions.

; Thematically, A History of Violence is Cronenberg’s most accomplished work since Dead Ringers, which remains his finest effort to date (and one of the ten best films of the 1980’s).; Still, this picture is right up there with The Fly, The Brood and the vastly undervalued Spider as a plain old masterpiece, of which there have been very, very few this year.; Though the body horror element is notably absent here, there’s still graphic violence galore, but it’s the kind that unsettles rather than gratifies (as the Charles Bronson revenge epics to which David Edelstein misguidedly likens this film unapologetically do).; How you read the final scene in this film will dictate your either rhapsodic or indignant reaction to it.; In fact, I strongly urge you to see the movie before reading this interview (there is a pretty huge spoiler revealed midway through). ; My only misgiving with this interview is that I didn’t have several hours to pick over every single movie Cronenberg ever made.; He’s been one of the finest filmmakers working since the late 1970’s, though he’s never been acknowledged as such outside of the most film literate circles.; I’d like to think A History of Violence will change this, but, if anything, it’s only bound to widen the gap between Cronenberg and American audiences.; ; The following one-on-one discussion was recorded last July during the San Diego Comic Con.;