Collider has published a retrospective piece praising David Cronenberg's 2005 crime thriller A History of Violence, which is currently available to stream on HBO Max. The article argues that, 21 years after its release, the film remains a standout example of how a comic-book source can be adapted into personal, stylised and thoughtful cinema, in contrast to what the writer sees as the bland, formulaic nature of many modern comic-book adaptations.

Adapted from John Wagner's 1997 graphic novel, the film stars Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall, a mild-mannered Indiana diner owner whose past as mob hitman "Joey Cusack" resurfaces after he foils a violent robbery and becomes a local hero. Maria Bello plays his wife Edie, Ed Harris appears as an old associate, and William Hurt earned an Oscar nomination for roughly ten minutes of screen time as crime boss Richie Cusack. The piece highlights it as the first of four collaborations between Cronenberg and Mortensen, praising its blend of pulpy B-movie action with meditative themes on aggression, identity and the body that echo Cronenberg's earlier horror work.