Movie: “A History of Violence”

Director: David Cronenberg
I’ve had a hard time making up my mind about this movie. Direction and acting are first-rate, and the story moves. Cronenberg and his writers raise interesting questions about secrets, violence, sexuality, and family life. So why my hesitation? I think because in the end I had a hard time believing what happens. “A History of Violence” started life as a graphic novel. I’ve read my share; some are terrific (“Watchmen,” “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”—the latter a bad movie, unfortunately), others are really, really pretentious (“The Road to Perdition,” “Sin City”) and make for really, really pretentious movies. This isn’t the problem with “A History of Violence.” Maybe there is no problem and I shouldn’t be hung up on credibility. But something bothers me. If you’ve seen it, I’d love to know what you think.