A History Of Violence

Four stars. Recommended.

Small-town family man Tom Stall runs a diner. One day, a couple of criminals stop by to try and rob the place, but instead Tom kills them with brutal efficiency. The media turn him into a hero, but he doesn't want the attention. A few days later, some more shady characters turn up, convinced that Tom is actually a gangster from Philadelphia called Joey Cusack, who disappeared twenty years ago...

This is a superb film. Don't expect a flashy action movie, though: it's a slow burner, with lots of time spent on the relationship between Tom and his wife and children, and how these few pivotal moments turn their lives upside down.