A History of Violence (2005)

Few viewers realize this began as a 1997 Paradox Press graphic novel by Judge Dredd creator John Wagner and artist Vince Locke. David Cronenberg follows the book closely while a diner owner's act of self-defense makes him a local hero and draws gangsters to his door. The second half is where the two part company. Cronenberg turns William Hurt's Richie into Tom's own brother and gives a key killing to the son rather than the wife, which shifts the whole film toward a family's doubt about the man at its center. Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello make that doubt the real thriller. Read the book afterward and compare.