Film: A History of Violence (2005)
Moment: Thug has his nose caved in
Known earlier in his career for extreme works of “body horror” such as Videodrome, The Fly, and Naked Lunch, in 2005 David Cronenberg came out with the rather more subdued A History of Violence, which won over critics and the Academy (it was nominated for two Oscars) with its story of unassuming family man Tom Stall, whose life is thrown into turmoil after he foils a robbery at his small-town diner. Restrained in comparison to most of Cronenberg’s previous works, the director still couldn’t help but sprinkle the film with a few cringe-worthy gore shots, including this one in which Tom literally caves a mobster’s nose in with his bare hands. Needless to say, the aftermath isn’t pretty.