Review of A Most Violent Year (2014) by Eytan D — 28 Jul 2015

This was a great film although a bit unusual. I disagree that he thought he was a gangster, I think its a misconception that that type of behaviour should be associated with being a ganster. He was a business man.

The overall story is a bit flat in that you half expect him to explode into violence, you expect it from the expently predictable plot and the title. But its not predictable and although that meant there was less action it lent to other qualities that made the film pretty intense.

The only thing that annoyed me was how they kept say very little and then saying 'I know'. Multiple characters sat there in moody silence and said 'I know' solemly about 5-7 times. Enough for you to be waiting for it to happen again.

What I really liked about the film was all the small micro plots, or character strings. For example, the driver that shoots himself in the end asks the main character whether he thought by giving him a job he had given him a good chance in life and the main character said he had.

To me that had quite a lot of power because this was really a story, like in real life, where a person gets rich essentially off the back of poor people, ie the workers. What was more intriging was the idea that they were the same person, in my minds eye, but in different universes.

The one that was the manager was strong and confident and the driver was weak and pathetic. So, in real life, you think, what would my manager or boss do if he was in my shoes. Its easy to be tough and strong if your in charge.

I did some floor mopping years ago and a manager used to say to me, how can you expect anyone give you a job of any value if you cant proove you can mop a floor, or words to that effect. Then the driver shoots himself.

And why not, he was right. Its all very subtle without being condesending of sacramonious. The action is slight and you sort of want more which is a bit dissapointing. But its a rich environment. It absorbs you and you beleive it, to some extent.

Theres a scene where the main guy goe into a barbours to confront a man he knows has been stealing his fuel. But he doesnt shoot him, which would be a natural film device, instead he has some 'words' with him.

And the guy is scared, because he's been found out and the fuel is marked. Its a very believable scene, and in its own right is 'violence', it was confrontation. But the violence is subliminal.

All in all this is definatly worth watching.