A Most Violent Year

In 1981, an immigrant oilman struggles to improve his fortune and protect his family during the most dangerous year in New York City's history. A Most Violent Year is a strong, character-driven drama that's lifted infinitely by terrific lead performances by Oscar Isaacs and Jessica Chastain, inflating what could have been a tiresome, trite look at one man versus the world in an unkind city. Abel Morales (Isaac) runs Standard Oil, and he has his eyes on some prime waterfront real estate. With this land, he'll be able to fill his trucks from directly from the oil barges on the river, rather than have the oil transported from boat to someone else's trucks and then to his warehouses. And by saving money there, he'll be able to buy a little more oil than he normally would, keep it on the premises, and then sell it to customers or competitors when demand rises. He makes a deal for the land with a sizable down payment and the stipulation that the balance be tendered within 30 days - no extensions allowed. This, of course, is before Abel's company comes under investigation by an intrepid detective (David Oyelowo), his trucks get highjacked and the oil stolen, and his backers start to, well, back away. But Abel is no wilting flower, whether he's dealing with the fuzz or the other oilmen in the city. He has his convictions, and damned if he's going to give them up to appease anyone. Which, as you might suspect, makes things a little more difficult. His wife Anna (Chastain), who can match Abel in sheer willpower, is also fiercely protective of her husband, her business (she's the bookkeeper), and her family. Sort of a two-pronged attack. Abel's charm and style nets him both friends and enemies, but this isn't yet another mobster movie by any means. In fact, the only direct evidence of organized crime in the movie centers around Abel's competition - men who would do anything to maintain and/or increase their share of the lucrative oil business in the city. Both Isaacs (Inside Llewyn Davis) and Chastain (Interstellar) deliver powerful performances that manage to be both relatable and fascinating. Theirs is not a one-sided relationship. Abel is not some power-mad, bombastic husband who treats the wife and kids as either baggage or items to be used for fun and profit. Anna is not some melodramatic, over-spirited harpy who resents her husband's work obsession. They work together even when they disagree. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention an almost unrecognizable Albert Brooks, the company's astute and slightly amoral lawyer. Brooks, in what appears to be a Karl Malden wig, is a real treat. A Most Violent Year carries a strong message, and that message is this: don't count the little guy out, particularly when he (and his spouse) is whip-smart, unafraid to take chances, and endlessly resourceful. High praise indeed for director J.C. Chandor (All Is Lost) and his talented cast.

A Most Violent Year marks J.C. Chandor's directorial return to form in this gritty thriller telling the tale of a man constantly pressured by the elements of his surroundings. Featuring an onslaught of phenomenal performances and a slow burning screenplay, A Most Violent Year rises on the list of the very best of 2014. The film tells the story of the Morales family as they struggle to maintain their business empire during 1981 New York City, which is statistically the city's most crime ridden year. The film follows Abel, played by Oscar Issac, an immigrant who started his home oil business from the ground up and essentially is living the American Dream. When hijackings begin to start happening, one of which turning violent, the NYPD begin to dig into his empire, setting off a chain reaction of events that threaten to destroy the life he worked so hard to build. The film is an interesting contrast between Abel the family man and Abel the business man. He is a man that isn't afraid to do the unthinkable if he is crossed, not because he is a gangster or a violent criminal but because he is protecting what he cares about and when push comes to shove, he is willing to do whatever it takes. The best parts of A Most Violent Year come from the scenes with Abel and Anna, played by Oscar Issac and Jessica Chastain. To start off, both of these actors deliver career best performances and make you feel every word their saying. This is definite kudos to Chandor. His ability to humanize his characters is impeccable and A Most Violent Year is a clear cut showcase of what he is capable of behind the camera. To Chandor, his actors are key, without them, this film could fall apart very easily with one false note. It feels as if Chandor wrote the screenplay for these two and it really pays off, especially for Jessica Chastain, who is unbelievably good playing a manipulative Shakespearean femme fatale. The supporting cast features David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, and the great Albert Brooks and they are absolutely exceptional in this film. The screenplay, as I said above, is terrific. It is realistic and grounded in 1970s-esque grit, echoing back to films such as The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The French Connection and Serpico. This is a film that fits very nicely in between The French Connection and Serpico. It is not a film about an event or a chronicle of the most violent year in New York's history, it is about characters. It is a character driven film and those of you who are looking for something a bit more filling regarding entertainment value, you'll be sorely disappointed with this film. Despite it's title, there are very few scenes of violence but when there is violence, it is usually sudden and realistic and doesn't wallow in the actual act of violence, it analyzes the affects of the violence at hand. My only issue that I had with A Most Violent Year is the cinematography. Bradford Young is an amazing cinematographer and really does well behind the camera but I don't feel as though he captured the essence of 1981. The film is crisp, clean and very digitized considering the time period we're supposed to be set in. The colors are all there and the tones are perfect but it is just too crisp looking and doesn't allow us to truly experience Chandor's New York City. Despite the digital look, the film's colors are very cold and desolate, making New York look as if it were on its way to becoming a deserted wasteland. Overall, A Most Violent Year is a slow burning crime thriller that is seeping with great performances and a brilliant script. I highly recommend it.

First of all let me just say, if IMDb allowed 0.5 votes, this would probably get a 6.5 from me. Where to begin with this one ? Well it's shot well, the cast nail the parts, but from start to finish you are waiting for the film to come to life, and unfortunately it just never does. Some people will appreciate this film much more than others, but for me it was average at best. The main reason we all watch films and television, is to be entertained, and unfortunately with A Most Violent Year, it feels like we have been left wanting. You never really get to appreciate 1980s New York, a couple of panoramic skylines don't really cut it. With a bit more substance to the story, better visuals & some period music, this film could & should have been much better. Sausage1

I've been amazed at some of the slams this movie has taken. No story? Boring? Slow? You've got to be kidding. This was a fascinating character study of an "honorable man" trying to retain his honor in a corrupt business and political environment. From the title, I was expecting more of a traditional Martin Scorcese gangster flick, so I was surprised (pleasantly) that "violence" of the film was primarily about two codes of life clashing against one another. I can certainly understand a viewer attracted to the film because of the word "violence" ibeing disappointed at seeing so little on the screen. But I found the film riveting: excellent plotting, great writing and superb performances.

Chandor (All is Lost) is one of the more prolific young directors working. With AMVY, an adult mystery-drama-thriller, he screams of the classics: tension of French Connection, quiet of Chinatown, and menace of Mean Streets. It's a fantastic period piece that creates an authentic, distinct look at 1980s New York, while tonally replicating films from that era. Is it a bit TOO quiet and a bit TOO slow at times? Yep…but the taut skill on display is too good to ignore. Abel Morales, a successful, hardworking oil company owner, tries to thrive and survive during 1981 NYC, the most violent year in history. Despite this premise, the crime-action is more a successfully imminent background thought than a constant in-your- face presence. As the movie progresses and ultimately gets better, the subtle suspense builds, and each individual incident pushes Morales closer to his breaking point. Isaac shines in the protagonist role, playing one of the coolest characters around: broken yet proud, strong yet vulnerable, decent yet pressed, and shrewdly bad-to-the-bone. I wish Chastain was a bit more up to the task as his ominous, hardly-doting wife, but luckily she's not a huge distraction to the otherwise stellar acting by some of Hollywood's great new talents. Throughout the solid work being done, we are presented with some great things to ponder: wanting the American dream without knowing why; struggling to be successful without becoming corrupt; juggling humility and pride in a world that drains you. Unfortunately the character's relationships with these different questions bring the movie to a bore at times. Mostly though, it manages to be a solid little award-season drama.

This is a movie I often don't recommend to any of my friends because I truly feel it takes someone with a certain level of appreciation for film and the patience to watch this plot unfold. Now I don't mean for that to come off as snobbish, but this is a movie that could easily be cast off as boring by people who are just looking for an entertaining film. However, if you are a person who possess some level of appreciation for film and would like to see a good, albeit slow tale, I would highly recommend this movie. The first thing of note in this movie is Oscar Issac's performance. He plays Abel Morales, an entrepreneur who runs a fuel company. He is one of Hollywood's best rising stars, and he shows what he's got in this film. He gives a very subtle, even performance that is reflective of his character, and it works very well. Jessica Chastain is also very good as his wife, and her character's primary motivation is her children and their safety. I felt that she really cared about her kids. I don'y want to go too much into the story because it is a good one. But the fine details of the story is not what matters. It is the intricacy of the characters that is the important aspect of this film. To see how hard Abel will work for his family and his legacy shows the drive of man, and a sort of twisted sense of the American dream.

Basically its all for nothing, story for stories sake. The whole time your waiting for the violence, yet the worst violence happens when Jessica Chastains character shoots a deer in the head. Despite the fact the film was incredibly slow all the way through, the production value, wardrobe, and acting stood out over a terrible script and narrative to work with. The film follows the protagonists search for $1.5mil to fund an estate of an oil factory. He has 1 month and a further three days to produce said funds to his Jewish associates, otherwise it will be sold to his competitors. CUE THE MOST VIOLENT MONTH! He's constantly having his oil pinched from the 'MAFIA' which turn out to be the least violent members of the mafia ever, in fact it's like the mafia even rang and said we will not be associated with this movie. You could probably get more violence out of a slug on Ritalin moving as slow as the plot. They still manage to snatch his oil and are finally chased down by our protagonist. He beats a 'thug' to a pulp and asked the usual "who are you working for?" takes a backstep lets him go and he tells him anyway. Our lead approaches his not mentioned before brother and tells him he's mortgaged his house for $200,000, a scene that is as random as a cloud getting high on flower ranging. It all just happens and for no apparent reason. Plus, in addition to selling part of his company to a lady and her grandad for a loan of $500 grand, when hoping for $1.5mil, the protagonists uses his thug victims information to take back the money from his $200 grand worth of stolen oil. This eliminates any point of the film so far. The rest of the story turns out to be a pointless endeavour because Jessica Chastain has skimmed accumulated $600 grand from the company all along. OH and not forgetting the mob boss and his obsession with tennis, that was going to loan him the money anyway. Don't give me your pretentious bullshit, i know a good movie when i see one.This was like some one went 'hey i wanna write a movie in this genre' and someone produced funds they had all along and let them do it.

(76%) There are multiple reasons why this should be a prime target for most cinema fans, but the main reason of all is the ever impressive Oscar Isaac. He's fantastic here in the lead role toiling against what feels like everything to legitimately succeed as a fuel dealer during a crime plagued era in New York history. While backing him up brilliantly is Jessica Chastain as his glamorous, tough, yet fully supportive wife. The direction from the outset is silky smooth, while still very calculated. But there are clear issues surrounding the film's momentum as this flat- out refuses to break away from its total sense of realism, meaning this is a easy film to respect, but fun to watch it ain't. Although in terms of a quality crime drama with real refinement in-front and behind the camera then look no further.

Chandor (All is Lost) is one of the more prolific young directors working. With AMVY, an adult mystery-drama-thriller, he screams of the classics: tension of French Connection, quiet of Chinatown, and menace of Mean Streets. It's a fantastic period piece that creates an authentic, distinct look at 1980s New York, while tonally replicating films from that era. Is it a bit TOO quiet and a bit TOO slow at times? Yep…but the taut skill on display is too good to ignore. Abel Morales, a successful, hardworking oil company owner, tries to thrive and survive during 1981 NYC, the most violent year in history. Despite this premise, the crime-action is more a successfully imminent background thought than a constant in-your- face presence. As the movie progresses and ultimately gets better, the subtle suspense builds, and each individual incident pushes Morales closer to his breaking point. Isaac shines in the protagonist role, playing one of the coolest characters around: broken yet proud, strong yet vulnerable, decent yet pressed, and shrewdly bad-to-the-bone. I wish Chastain was a bit more up to the task as his ominous, hardly-doting wife, but luckily she's not a huge distraction to the otherwise stellar acting by some of Hollywood's great new talents. Throughout the solid work being done, we are presented with some great things to ponder: wanting the American dream without knowing why; struggling to be successful without becoming corrupt; juggling humility and pride in a world that drains you. Unfortunately the character's relationships with these different questions bring the movie to a bore at times. Mostly though, it manages to be a solid little award-season drama.

JC Chandor has hit it out of the park before, with Margin Call and with All Is Lost. Inside Llewyn Davis was also a beautiful effort. So I guess that means that he gets the benefit of the doubt for any of his future work. He'll need it for this. This movie falls into the laudable sub-trend in Hollywood to try to depart from their lockstep story-driven editing and formula-driven writing. That's what the movie is not. What it is, isn't much. The movie is about an honest business owner in a syndicate-controlled industry being tempted into criminal acts to protect his business, and to make matters worse, he has the same hairstylist as Al Pacino in the first Godfather. So after this setup for the protagonist who is inexorably driven into a life of crime, this movie breaks that cliché, and instead of giving into temptation, the guy just passively allows stuff to happen. Even the idea of waiting for the cops to pick up the gangster who has been harassing his business, instead of allowing him to escape, is too much of an active role for our protagonist. The moral of the story is that non-proactive nice guys win in the end. As for the movie, I don't think that everyone will be awake by the end.