History YMMV / AHistoryOfViolence

** [[ThoseTwoBadGuys Leland and Billy.]] See CompleteMonster above for details.

* MisaimedFandom: The film was meant to be a meditation on the ugliness of violence and how it negatively effects the people involved, even when it's justified. However, a good number of viewers genuinely enjoyed the violent scenes, which were supposed to be the most off-putting parts of the story, possibly because the victims tended to be [[AssholeVictim really rotten people.]] For example, WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows put the GroinAttack from this film in his list of his favorite movie nut shots, saying it was the most satisfying ballbuster he'd ever seen in a film.

** Film: Leland Jones and Billy Orser are a pair of thieving {{serial killer}}s who are [[EstablishingCharacterMoment introduced]] casually murdering the staff of the motel they're departing at the start of the movie, with Billy [[WouldHurtAChild gunning down a scared little girl]] without a hint of emotion. Later, when they try to rob Tom Stall's diner, Leland orders Billy to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape a waitress]] to "show this asshole we mean business"; Billy is all too happy to oblige. It's heavily implied they are on a cross-country murder spree, and would have continued indiscriminately robbing and killing everyone they encountered had Tom not stopped them. Despite only appearing briefly, they are without a doubt the most evil and depraved characters.

** Film: Leland Jones and Billy Orser are a pair of thieving {{serial killer}}s who are [[EstablishingCharacerMoment introduced]] casually murdering the staff of the motel they're departing at the start of the movie, with Billy [[WouldHurtAChild gunning down a scared little girl]] without a hint of emotion. Later, when they try to rob Tom Stall's diner, Leland orders Billy to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape a waitress]] to "show this asshole we mean business"; Billy is all too happy to oblige. It's heavily implied they are on a cross-country murder spree, and would have continued indiscriminately robbing and killing everyone they encountered had Tom not stopped them. Despite only appearing briefly, they are without a doubt the most evil and depraved characters.

** Film: Leland Jones]] Billy Orser are a pair of thieving serial killers who are introduced casually murdering the staff of the motel they're departing at the start of the movie, [[WouldHurtAChild with Billy gunning down a scared little girl]] [[TheSociopath without a hint of emotion.]] Later, when they try to rob Tom Stall's diner, [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Leland orders Billy to rape a waitress to "show this asshole we mean business," which Billy is all too happy to oblige;]] thankfully, Tom kills them both before it goes that far. It's heavily implied they are on a cross-country murder spree, and would have continued indiscriminately robbing and killing everyone they encountered had Tom not turned the tables on them when he did. Despite not being the actual villains of the film, they are without a doubt the most evil and depraved characters.

* CompleteMonster: "Little" Lou Manzi from the original comic is a ravenously psychotic [[TheDon mob boss]] and TortureTechnician who makes ColdBloodedTorture his hobby. Since becoming the head of the boss twenty years before the story, Manzi keeps a man as a toy, torturing him in every conceivable way he can think of day in and day out till the man is nothing more than an armless, legless chunk of meat--[[AndIMustScream barely alive and conscious]]. In present, he tries to get the man's partner back to be his victim as well by threatening his family and his young children.
** From the film, [[EvilOldFolks Leland Jones]] and [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse Billy Orser.]] They are a pair of thieving serial killers who are introduced casually murdering the staff of the motel they're departing at the start of the movie, [[WouldHurtAChild with Billy gunning down a scared little girl]] [[TheSociopath without a hint of emotion.]] Later, when they try to rob Tom Stall's diner, [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Leland orders Billy to rape a waitress to "show this asshole we mean business," which Billy is all too happy to oblige;]] thankfully, Tom kills them both before it goes that far. It's heavily implied they are on a cross-country murder spree, and would have continued indiscriminately robbing and killing everyone they encountered had Tom not turned the tables on them when he did. Despite not being the actual villains of the film, they are without a doubt the most evil and depraved characters.

** Also, Richie Cusack. The guy fondly recalls how he tried to strangle his newborn baby brother in his crib when they were young... to his brother, now an adult. [[spoiler: Then he tries to blithely have his brother killed just to save face with his gangster friends.]]

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: "How do you fuck that up?"
** Richie mocking another thug for checking the condition of the one he and Joey just killed is also darkly hilarious.

* OneSceneWonder: William Hurt as Richie. He shows up in the third act of the film for about ten or fifteen minutes, but damn if he doesn't make an impression. Hurt was even nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Award oscar.

* NightmareFuel: Tom resorting violence just gets more disturbing every time he does it. Also, Carl Fogarty's eye and the story behind it.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: It's not exactly clear whether Tom Stall is [[spoiler: just a very good liar, if he's simply BecomeTheMask so well that he's suppressed the memory of his past life, [[SplitPersonality or if he and Joey Cusack are two separate personalities,]] as Edie speculates at one point. Considering how crazy Joey and his brother Richie behave, the latter option is not out of the realm of possibility.]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretaton: It's not exactly clear whether Tom Stall is [[spoiler: just a very good liar, if he's simply BecomeTheMask so well that he's suppressed the memory of his past life, [[SplitPersonality or if he and Joey Cusack are two separate personalities,]] as Edie speculates at one point. Considering how crazy Joey and his brother Richie behave, the latter option is not out of the realm of possibility.]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretaton: It's not exactly clear whether Tom Stall is [[spoiler: just a very good liar, if he's simply BecomeTheMask so well that he's suppressed the memory of his past life, [[SplitPersonality or if he and Joey Cusack are two separate personalities,]] as Edie speculates at one point. Considering how crazy Joey and his brother Richie behave, the latter option is not out of the realm of possibility.]]

* MisaimedFandom: The film was meant to be a meditation on the ugliness of violence and how it negatively effects the people involved, even when it's justified. However, a good number of viewers genuinely enjoyed the violent scenes, which were supposed to be the most off-putting parts of the story, possibly because the victims tended to be [[AssholeVictim really rotten people.]] For example, WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows put the GroinAttack from this film in his list of his favorite movie nut shots, saying it was the most satisfying ballbuster he'd ever seen in a film.

* CompleteMonster: "Little" Lou Manzi of the original comic is a ravenously psychotic mob boss and TortureTechnician who makes ColdBloodedTorture his hobby. Since becoming the head of the boss twenty years before the story, Manzi keeps a man as a toy, torturing him in every conceivable way he can think of day in and day out till the man is nothing more than an armless, legless chunk of meat- only [[AndIMustScream still alive and conscious.]] In present, he tries to get the man's partner back to be his victim as well by threatening his family and even his young children.

* CompleteMonster: "Little" Lou Manzi of the original comic is a ravenously psychotic mob boss and TortureTechnician who makes ColdBloodedTorture his hobby. Since becoming the head of the boss twenty years before the story, Manzi keeps a man as a toy, torturing him in every conceivable way he can think of day in and day out till the man is nothing more than an armless, legless chunk of meat- only [[AndIMustScream still alive and conscious.]] In present, he tries to get the man's partner back to be his victim as well by threatening his family and even his young children.

* BrokenAesop: It's hard for a good number of people to buy into this movie's message about the negative effects of violence when the majority of victims of said violence are horrible, rotten people who couldn't be talked down on top of the film never providing an effective alternative to violence.

* MisaimedFandom: The film was meant to be a meditation on the ugliness of violence and how it negatively effects the people involved, even when it's justified. However, a good number of viewers genuinely enjoyed the violent scenes, which were supposed to be the most off-putting parts of the story, possibly because the victims tended to be [[AssholeVictim really rotten people.]] For example, WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows put the GroinAttack from this film in his list of his favorite movie nut shots, saying it was the most satisfying ballbuster he'd ever seen in a film.
* RayOfHopeEnding: As the main page comments show, not everyone sees it in the finished film, but the script ends with two words: "There's hope."

* CompleteMonster: "Little" Lou Manzi of the original comic is a ravenously psychotic mob boss and TortureTechnician who makes ColdBloodedTorture his hobby. Since becoming the head of the boss twenty years before the story, Manzi keeps a man as a toy, torturing him in every conceivable way he can think of day in and day out till the man is nothing more than an armless, legless chunk of meat- only [[AndIMustScream still alive and conscious.]] In present, he tries to get the man's partner back to be his victim as well by threatening his family and even his young children.* CrowningMomentOfFunny: "How do you fuck that up?"

* CompleteMonster: "Little" Lou Manzi of the original comic is a ravenously psychotic mob boss and TortureTechnician who makes ColdBloodedTorture his hobby. Since becoming the head of the boss twenty years before the story, Manzi keeps a man as a toy, torturing him in every conceivable way he can think of day in and day out till the man is nothing more than an armless, legless chunk of meat- only [[AndIMustScream still alive and conscious.]] In present, he tries to get the man's partner back to be his victim as well by threatening his family and even his young children.
** [[spoiler: Tom/Joey even with the very strong implications of how vicious he was, there are also very strong implications that he was more of a product of his environment an upbringing and even when his family is threatened by Fogharty, he gives him and his men every opportunity to leave before resorting to violence. He also doesn't even bother with Richie until he receives a call and Richie "asks" if Joey's going to come and see him or if he has to pay him and his family a visit personally. Whatever Tom did in his previous life, it is clear that he doesn't want anything to do with it anymore.]]
* CrowningMomentOfFunny: "How do you fuck that up?"

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: "How do you fuck that up?"

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: "How do you fuck that up?"
* [[{{Even Evil Has Standards}} Even Evil Has Standards]]: "Jesus, Joey, you took his eye. Barbed wire, was it? That's disgusting."

* CompleteMonster: The two travelers from the beginning of the film. One of them shoots a ''little girl'' and it's heavily implied that they kill everyone they rob, even if their victims cooperate with them.

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: "How do you fuck that up?"

* CompleteMonster: The two travelers from the beginning of the film.