Review of A Most Violent Year (2014) by Chris L — 24 Jan 2015

"A Most Violent Year," the third feature film directed by J.C. Chandor, stars Oscar Isaac and Academy Award nominated Jessica Chastain as Abel & Anna Morales, who must overcome the relentless corruption, violence, and misfortunes that try to ruin the business they have spent years building.

I knew little about this movie until I saw a trailer for it in an indie theater in New York. Needless to say, I knew I had to see this sooner or later. The only other movie I knew was directed by Chandor before seeing this was the 2013 film "All is Lost," starring Robert Redford. I have yet to see the aforementioned movie, but after seeing this one I must say I'm looking forward to it.

Before I get to the performances, I must say that the atmosphere and coloring in this film is remarkable. I am a big fan of period pieces, especially ones that take place in the mid to late 20th century, and the gritty yet beautifully colored visuals are perfectly representative of the early 1980's. The look of some scenes even reminded me of the visual style of films like "The Godfather." I also admire the use of both natural light and artificial lighting in order to provoke certain emotions and emphasis. Isaac and Chastain gave terrific performances in this movie, with Isaac successfully conveying Abel Morale's strong determination and Chastain believably playing Anna Morale, who feels as though Abel is at times incompetent and she needs to take matters into her own hands. David Oyelowo, better known for his role as Martin Luther King, Jr. in the movie "Selma," also gives a great performance as District Attorney Lawrence, who can be seen as an antagonist, although I believe the main antagonist is more external than a single character. Going back to Isaac's character, another plus of the movie is that Morales is a unique character in that he is willing to do anything to keep his business he has worked so hard on building from falling apart, until it becomes immoral. In many movies, if a character, especially in a crime drama, is hell-bent on doing something, they wouldn't hesitate to kill or put lives at risk to get their way (such as in "Nightcrawler"). Morales, on the other hand, knows when to stop and decide when to change the direction he's going to solve a problem. He states in the film, "You should know that I have always taken the path that is most right. The result is never in question for me. Just what path do you take to get there? And that is what this is." By the end of the film, you believe that he is innocent of all the charges he's accused of, though whether he actually is isn't clear-cut. What would usually be a negative for me in a film is that this movie is slow at some points. Despite the slow pace, however, the movie was never boring, which is a very rare case. I credit the performances and visuals for keeping me attentive (that and a few jump scares).

The main bother I had with movie, which could be partially due to the trailer (which I really liked), was how little violence there actually was. I know that may sound like a nitpick or I'm implying that a movie can't be good without heads getting blown off, but considering this film emphasized that it took place in "statistically the most violent year in New York history," I expected more. Much like "There Will Be Blood," where there really wasn't that much of it, "A Most Violent Year" failed to convince me that it took place in such a time. There are only two deaths in the entire movie (three if you count a deer), and this movie could have been PG-13 if they subtracted a few "fucks." Another small problem I had was the character Julian, played by Elyes Gabel. At first, it was hard to figure out if this character was important to the plot. Once you realize that he's an important character, he feels a lot less fleshed out than he should be. I wish there was more time dedicated to showing what he was going through. Also, the cops kinda suck at catching guys, which is probably why there were so many crimes in 1981.

Overall, despite my initial expectation of a great mobster movie, I was pleasantly surprised to have seen a great corporate crime drama I have seldom seen before. Although I did have a few problems with "A Most Violent Year," the positives greatly outweighed the negatives. I wouldn't necessarily call it an Oscar worthy film, but it's definitely on the level right under it. Hopefully, this movie gets a wider release so you can give it a watch.

8/10.