Review of A Most Violent Year (2014) by Evan L — 03 Feb 2015

I was very excited to see A Most Violent Year. I am a big Oscar Isaac fan, I really like Jessica Chastain and I was very curious to see what director J.C. Chandor would do after All Is Lost. Well, I'm very happy to say that A Most Violent Year is an incredibly interesting slow-burning thriller!

THE GOOD:

+ The acting in this film is truly incredible. Oscar Isaac gives an award-worthy performance as Abel Morales, a man who is only trying to do what he thinks is right. He demonstrates emotion and gives a tame yet touching performance. Jessica Chastain, though not in the film all that much, is absolutely incredible as well. The rest of the supporting cast were excellent, with mostly unknown actors.

+ The cinematography is some of the best I've seen all year. The colour-palette is unique and some of the shots of the city were breathtaking. Each frame felt like a beautiful painting. Bradford Young really has an eye for cinematography, and I want to watch more of his films in the future.

+ I actually found myself enjoying the story which seemed uninteresting at first glance. I normally wouldn't care about crime in the fuel industry, but these actors made me care. Though the pace is slow, it rarely drags or feels boring.

+ The lighting is amazing and should have been nominated at the Academy Awards. The musical score from Alex Ebert is reminiscent of Bach and works well for the picture.

+ The writing is great, featuring realistic dialogue and really tense moments. The directing by J.C. Chandor is excellent as well.

THE BAD:

- There are some moments that were boring and seemed very useless. There is one long scene in particular that felt completely unnecessary.

OVERALL: A Most Violent Year is a visual masterpiece with incredible acting, great direction and a very interesting story. See it!

RATING: 8.5/10.