A Most Violent Year Review

Year And Loathing In New York City

You can be easily forgiven for not knowing the name of movie studio A24 right off the bat. Disney, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox...who doesn't know the names, logo or theme music for those studios? But A24, despite the smaller box office it's films generate, has generated quite a reputation. They distribute very unorthodox cinematic fare (like Under The Skin or Spring Breakers) usually to glowing reviews. A Most Violent Year is the newest distribution effort from A24, a film that counts as the third directional effort of JC Chandor, who previously helmed All Is Lost and Margin Call.

 

He is credited for writing and directing this feature, giving him a lot of influence over the plot and the characters that inhabit it. The primary character leading the story is Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), whose business of transporting oil becomes the center of violence that's sweeping New York City in the year the films take place, 1981. That rush of violence collides with financial turmoil, and Abel's desire to control any and everything swiftly juxtaposes with the swirling storm of chaos that his business is drenched in.

Isaac is a rising star in Hollywood, with him playing central character Poe Dameron in some little indie movie called Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December, as well as the big baddie in the next X-Men film. There's a reason for that, as his compelling turn in Inside Llewyn Davis showed, and the talent seen there is reinforced in a very different character in A Most Violent Year. Abel Morales loves to keep everything neat and tidy in his business, no matter the cost. He wants the respect and security that comes with power, but Isaac demonstrates subtle vulnerability felt by Abel as things get more and more out of control.

Sharply contrasting with Abel's desire for control is his wife, who is the perfect representation of "loose cannon". Oh don't get her wrong, Anna Morales (Jessica Chastain) likes to have serenity too, but she'll push things more, she'll buys guns, do whatever it takes to keep things in order. Chastain exudes this sense of power any chance she appears on screen, and her exhilarating dynamic with Isaac makes scenes between the two that are either (or even both) romantic or confrontational feel realistic.

Chandor makes a screenplay that, aside from one or two moments (such as Abel remeeting a tennis obsessed rival) that feel extraneous, keeps a tension filled rhythm going that can go from being subtle to effectively blatant on the turn of a dime. Sequences like one taking place on a highway really help sell the uncertainty of the time period, and are brought to life by some involving pacing. However, perhaps the films best aspect of all is it's visual look. Trust me, I am underselling this films look when I say it's beautiful with a capital B. Bright colors, namely blues, pop right off the screen, and contrast well to the more realistic worn-down environments that much of the film takes place in. That sort of dichotomy is omnipresent in A Most Violent Year, and it shows a level of craft that should make A24 proud they're distributing this feature.