Apparently you missed me at Helms Deep: "A History of Violence"

Now here's something I thought I'd never see: David Cronenberg making a mainstream movie.

Don't get me wrong. I like Cronenberg. He may get weird, but he's never boring. Most of us have seen "The Fly" with Jeff Goldblum, which is grand -- if gross -- fun. Perhaps you've also seen "Scanners," which remains the best movie with exploding heads I've ever seen. ("Raiders of the Lost Ark" is a close second.) "eXistenZ" was amusingly bizarre, and let's not forget "Dead Ringers," in which Jeremy Irons plays twin gynecologists who definitely won't be at the top of any woman's list.

While I'm told "Crash" will cure anyone of Cronenberg, I'm usually game for his weirdness. Imagine my surprise when the reviews for "A History of Violence" were positively glowing, heralding Cronenberg as introspective and provocative without being gory. True, we do get some classic Cronenberg touches, from shots that linger on bloody body parts to spirited sex scenes. But this movie really does have wider appeal, and it's pretty riveting.

The plot has everyman Viggo Mortensen going about his perfect small-town life when two very bad men stop his diner. Viggo springs into action, killing the bad guys and becoming a hero. But then some more bad men show up, convinced Viggo is their old mob pal from back east. Is he or isn't he? What will he do now? Where's Barney Fife when you need him?

While it takes time to build steam, "History" provides a simple yet compelling tale of "Is this guy who he says he is?" Mortensen is pretty good as the lead; everyone knows him from "The Lord of the Rings," but he's shown his chops before, i.e. "G.I. Jane." (As well as, I have to assume, "Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.") Playing his wife is Maria Bello, who's carved out a nice little niche with roles like this and those in "The Cooler," "Payback" and "Auto Focus." It may help that she doesn't mind showing some skin. I know that works for me.

Rounding out the lead roles are Ed Harris as the guy who knows he knows Viggo and William Hurt as his boss. All of these actors do solid jobs, and the story conjured up enough questions to keep me pretty interested. For instance, because Viggo used violence to resolve a situation, is it OK for his teenage son to do the same? Or why is it OK for Viggo's wife to do a little roleplaying one night in the bedroom -- hello, cheerleader! -- but not for him to pretend to be someone else for several years? I mean, come on! Next thing you'll tell me is that I can't introduce myself to people as Heywood Jablome.