Film Review: A Most Violent Year

Sympathy for the Devil

J. C. Chandor's, A Most Violent Year, is the second of two films released in the past week, the first being Ex Machina, that include Star Wars -bound Oscar Isaac, who is slowly becoming one of my favourite actors. I first noticed Isaac when watching Inside Llewyn Davis, yet after looking at his back catalogue, it's surprising to see the wide range of films he has been a part of, such as Drive and two Ridley Scott efforts; Robin Hood and Body of Lies respectively, all of which are pretty fab, particularly, Drive. Similarly, Jessica Chastain also seems to be in films that particularly appeal to me, such as Zero Dark Thirty, and most recently, Interstellar, yet the third cog in this particular wheel, director J, C. Chandor, hasn't won me over, yet, with his last effort, All Is Lost, not enthralling me in the slightest. Still, two out of three ain't bad. 

The film is set during the latter stages of 1981 New York, a time in which, statistically, crime rates reached an all time high, particularly those consisting of a rather violent ilk, and tells the story of Abel Morales, who attempts to expand his business by purchasing a new, and valuable, piece of land. In the background however, his oil trucks are repeatedly being stolen and sold on, whilst the DA, played by Selma's, David Oyelwo, is running an investigation into potential illegal activity within his empire. Within my review for Ex Machina, I stated Isaac's performance was, "top notch," and the same can be said for his performance in this film, with his portrayal of a character, who, although the title suggests otherwise, attempts to stay within the boundaries of the law despite all of the ongoing threats to him and his business, being simply brilliant.

Adding to this brilliance, is Jessica Chastain, who plays the role of Anna Morales superbly, and who, in contrast to her husband, is no stranger to violence thanks to her father's gangster background. The chemistry between the two leads is explosive, and helps develop the way in which each character changes throughout the course of the movie, particularly Abel, who transforms from an almost reluctant hero into a no-nonsense hard-man. These strong performances help keep the film going, particularly when it is at its' weakest, with the rather shallow plot taking a while to kick in, and just slightly stretching its' two-hour run-time.

Overall, A Most Violent Year, is J. C. Chandor's best film to date, helped particularly by two terrific performances from Isaac and Chastain. Although its' rather simple plot is stretched into the film's run-time, the film is an entertaining and gripping crime drama that can stand strong next to other films in the same genre. 

Overall Score: 8/10