A Most Violent Year, 2015
Directed by J.C. Chandor.
Starring Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Albert Brooks, Christopher Abbott, Jerry Adler and Matthew Maher.
SYNOPSIS:
An immigrant New York businessman tries to expand his company’s fortunes despite setbacks from rival firms, criminal gangs and an investigation from the District Attorney.
Set in New York City in 1981, A Most Violent Year is a crime drama that harks back to the works of Coppola, Scorcese and Friedkin, telling a story about a man, his family and his values, all set against a backdrop of corruption and violence that threatens to usurp him at every turn. Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) plays Abel Morales, a Hispanic immigrant who has built up a successful oil business but is having trouble with his trucks being hijacked and his employees being attacked. Despite his wife Anna (Jessica Chastain – Mama) having mob connections through her father and a union chief arming the drivers with guns and fake permits, Abel is determined to stay on the right side of the law to keep his business growing, but circumstances conspire against him and he finds himself getting dragged deeper and deeper into the city’s rotten core.
The first and most obvious comparison to another film is that if you squint your eyes and shake your head, Oscar Isaac could be Al Pacino circa 1974, in both looks and performance. To his credit, it’s not a straight impersonation as Isaac offers his own quiet charisma in the role but there is an understated menace in Abel Morales bubbling beneath the surface that links straight back to Michael Corleone, although Morales’ unwillingness to embrace a criminal lifestyle makes him a much easier character to invest in. The other notable comparison is to The French Connection, with director J.C. Chandor seemingly having William Friedkin’s knack of capturing the realism and detail of the city location, making the chase scenes visually stunning and exciting to watch, despite them being very short and few in number.
Despite the title and the subject matter, A Most Violent Year isn’t a blood-soaked gangster epic but a slow-burning character piece about a man trying to do the right thing against mounting odds. The deliberately slow pace and lack of any real set-pieces may put off those looking for another Goodfellas, and if truth be told the film does feel a little stretched out during the final act, running out of steam about 20 minutes before the end and closing on a subtle note that may not feel totally satisfactory given the journey getting there but it fits with the mood of the film, which is really a snapshot of Abel Morales’ life at this time rather than his whole story. The secondary characters aren’t ever really delved into, with only Anna’s background with her allegedly criminal father alluded to but never given any great detail, and that helps keep the focus on Abel. Overall, A Most Violent Year may not be an instant classic in the same way as The Godfather, Goodfellas or The French Connection but for the most part it’s an engaging watch, offering up a stylish and slightly different take on the crime drama in that the main character wants nothing to do with anything illegal, and points to good things ahead for its director and its lead actor.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Ward
https://youtu.be/8HTiU_hrLms?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5
Originally published May 18, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
