Review of A Most Violent Year (2014) by Orlando O — 09 Apr 2015

A Most Violent Year is a small-lit drama that keeps the character arcs consistent but can barely keep the plot interesting. The movie is set in 1981 in New York City, which is the most violent year with criminal activity. We are introduced to Abel (Oscar Isaac) an owner of his Oil Company as he tries to live up to the expectation of an American Dream. His job is not exactly legal with the way things are handled. His competitor company is trying to sabotage his business by stealing his Oil delivery trucks. His delivery drivers are getting attacked and severely beat up. His wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) convinces him to fight back using violence, as he rejects that idea and hoping a more comprisable way of handling it. Meanwhile, Abel and his business are under investigation by DA Lawrence (David Oyelowo) who is trying to expose the illegal activities his oil business is committing.

The direction tries to have that gritty tone of the 80's New York but the plot has trouble in trying to find its own purpose. It is a story about a shady business owner being attacked by another company in a supposedly the worse year with criminal activity. The movie only has two car jacking scenes in it, which may be an exaggeration on the building tension that the movie tries to do. The story is slow moving and uninteresting.

Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain both had stunning performances as Abel and Anna. A Most Violent Year is a fair crime drama film that has the tone and tension buildup but the plot has no real surprises that can make it exciting.