Review of A Most Violent Year (2014) by Joshua S — 13 Feb 2015

Sigh. I was so ready to love this one. As it is, A Most Violent Year is a solid small-scale crime drama more along the lines of Killing Them Softly than the Scorsese-esque show stopper the trailer promised.

Violent Year makes vague commentary about the American Dream through its protagonist underplayed by Oscar Isaac and his adamant refusal to believe that through his illegal business practices, forced circumstances, and shady connections he is slowly becoming a powerful criminal.

(He has much in common with Niko Bellic from GTA IV, though he lacks his Terminator-esque killing prowess.) The best scenes are between Isaac and the always great Jessica Chastain. You've got to admire competent no bullshit acting when you can get it.

Few, if any of the other characters make much of an impression. The film suffers more than it should from a glacial pace. And this is coming from a person who enjoys slow films. This movie is VERY slow.

While I have to admire how it maintains a limited focus and is content with a very limited arc for our characters, it damages the impact it might have had. On the plus side A Most Violent Year does give you a feel for crime-ridden 1981 New York and there is an impressively filmed, restrained chase scene that came almost out of nowhere and managed to have consequence on the plot.

So while it is beautifully shot and well-acted it fails to be (at least for me) enjoyable or memorable. It's worth renting or downloading and breaking it up into a couple of sessions.