'A History of Violence' poses powerful questions

How inherent to our nature is violence? What darkness lies beneath the quiet life of America's heartland, the heroism of action films and Princeton's polite socialization? These are only a few of the questions that will invade your consciousness after seeing the latest and certainly greatest creation of David Cronenberg (director of "eXistenZ" and "The Dead Zone").

Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) lives out the American ideal as a father of two, the owner of a small diner and a proud citizen of unremarkable Milltown, Ind. During a botched robbery of Stall's Diner, Tom's instinctive reaction leaves the assailants dead, his coworkers infinitely grateful and his life changed forever. Soon menacing mobsters arrive from Philadelphia looking for the infamous Joey Cusack. They believe that Tom is actually Joey Cusack, leading Tom to confront the past life he may or may not have led. In the process, we are all forced to confront our own — and our collective — memory and history of violence.

With the minor exception of the actors who play Tom's children, the acting is outstanding. Maria Bello ("The Cooler" and "Coyote Ugly") projects both sexual power and idealized maternal innocence, accentuating the dualities of the film. Mortensen ("Lord of the Rings" and "A Walk on the Moon"), Ed Harris ("Apollo 13" and "A Beautiful Mind") and William Hurt ("AI: Artificial Intelligence" and "The Big Chill") interact brilliantly to build the film's psychological intensity. They combine with a subtle score, powerful cinematography by Peter Suschitzky ("M. Butterfly" and "The Man in the Iron Mask") and some of the most gruesome makeup in recent cinematic history to make the best film so far this year.

While this is no light entertainment, it is undoubtedly worth watching for its artistic power and philosophical complexities. It's guaranteed to stay with you. For those who are sold, the film shows at the AMC Market Fair Cinemas on Route 1 at 1 p.m., 3:20 p.m., 5:40 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10:25 p.m. daily.