Set in New York's outer boroughs in 1981 a year of record crime rates in the city J.C. Chandor's "A Most Violent Year" is an absorbing urban drama about honor, ambition, loyalty . Now I don't mean for that to come off as snobbish, but this is a movie that could easily be cast off as boring by people who are just looking for an entertaining film. Operating totally above board, Abel has made such a success of the business that he, Anna, and their two daughters are moving into a palatial new mansion. Just confirm how you got your ticket. This is, The film's title refers to an actual, statistical designation: 1981 was the most violent year in New York City history up till that point, with1,841 homicides (the number climbed through 1991 before starting to level off). Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Mostly though, it manages to be a solid little award-season drama. <i>A Most Violent Year</i>: A Worthy End to the Intriguing Cinema of 2014 It's a film that came upon us at the end of the year, but with word of mouth and lots of significant award nominations, including a recent win as Best Picture by the National Board of Review, it will probably attain the audience it deserves in the months ahead. The movie follows Abel and/or Anna as they try to get money tosavetheir collective enterprise. Chandor (All is Lost) is one of the more prolific young directors working. A Most Violent Year is a strong, character-driven drama that's lifted infinitely by terrific lead performances by Oscar Isaacs and Jessica Chastain, inflating what could have been a tiresome, trite look at one man versus the world in an unkind city. It strikes me that all three films provide a bizarre, hidden parable for. A Most Violent Year is a searing crime drama set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically the most dangerous year in the city's history. He and Anna haven't yet been able to go through the books themselves to hide whatever is required to remain clean. Its a testament to his work that I can summon no higher praise. We follow Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), who runs Standard Oil, a heating oil company that has been plagued by frequent hijackings of the company's utility trucks, resulting in thousands of dollars in lost materials. Technically,one of the last movies released in 2014 on the year's final day, just in time for award season, cause it's that type of movie to impress awarders. Anna's father and most if not all of Abel's major competitors were and are corrupt. When another heist occurs and one of his driver fires shots, Abel has to go himself and find the missing driver to turn him to the police. He's Pacino without the edge. National Board of Review Names A MOST VIOLENT YEAR Best Film of the Year; also Wins Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress The National Board of Review has named A Most Violent Year the best. Set in 1981 New York, one of the city's roughest periods, this taut thriller centers on a successful immigrant whose rivals are trying to run him out of business; his trucks are hijacked and his drivers cruelly attacked. That year wasn't that violent after all Good, slow-moving story of a NY businessman trying to make it honestly. Coming Soon. : There's outstanding use of New York locations, some cunningly staged moments of suspense and violence, and smart deployment of TV newscasts as a mostly unremarked-upon Greek chorus. The look and performances carry it. A Most Violent Year | Watch the Movie on HBO | HBO.com A Most Violent Year 16+ | action | 2 HR 0 MIN | 2015 WATCH NOW Watch on HBO An immigrant heating-oil supplier in 1981 New York tries to keep his business clean amid the rising corruption all around him. Drama, The film follows the lives of an immigrant and his family trying to expand their business and capitalize on opportunities as the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built. But I found the film riveting: excellent plotting, great writing and superb performances. I thoroughly enjoyed this film as I liked the slow build up and loved the homage which I believe is deliberate to the Godfather films and other films in this era. I spent my whole life trying not to be a gangster, he explains to Anna. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. But she's also a borderline Lady Macbeth figure who often chides her husband for not being as hard as he should be, because this is a hard, shadowy world, and these are mean streets. A Most Violent Year is set in the most brutal year in the city's history, when Mayor Koch and the DA would not like it to be so. Behind him is a wife with equal vision and more cunning. AKA: Jc3, Untitled J.C. Chandor Project. However, the industry in New York is known to be fraught with illegal activity, so much so that the Assistant D.A., Mr. Lawrence, has been tasked with cleaning up the crime ingrained in the industry. You're almost there! I highly recommend it. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. This concept drives J.C. Chandor's " A Most Violent Year ," an unconventional gangster film that draws uncomfortable parallels between capitalism and crime. Just don't expect to bite your nails in excitement or thrill. To opt out of the sale of your name, email address and other associated personal information, please submit the below Opt-Out Form. A Most Violent Year [Blu-ray + Digital HD], Jessica Chastain, J.C. Chandor, Alessandro Nivola, Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb, David Oyelowo, Oscar Isaac, Before The Door Pictures, Is Discontinued By Manufacturer The year here is 1981 and the city, none other than New York, who in that year there was a myriad of violent acts happening in the Big Apple. 43. The direction from the outset is silky smooth, while still very calculated. : A Most Violent Year Photos View All Photos Movie Info In 1981 New York, a fuel supplier (Oscar Isaac) tries to adhere to his own moral compass amid the rampant violence, corruption and decay that. Filmed the style of a seventies slow burner and posing the question but set in the most violent year of 1981 - What would Michael Corleone do if he tried to operate within legal parameters? Although we dont yet know it, in these opening two minutes writer-director J.C. Chandor is establishing the central themes of his exceptional film A Most Violent Year. Fastidious in appearance and precise in diction, Isaacs Abel is a portrait of a man obsessed with maintaining control, both of himself and of his surroundings. What is the streaming release date of A Most Violent Year (2014) in India? Oh, boy, is it that kind of movie. Although it doesnt relate directly to the movies plot, it lurks constantly in the background. The look and performances carry it. This is a movie I often don't recommend to any of my friends because I truly feel it takes someone with a certain level of appreciation for film and the patience to watch this plot unfold. But the true star of A Most Violent Year is writer-director Chandor. This prompts doing the right thing instead of doing the wrong thing to get things done - I like that. A MOST VIOLENT YEAR is a searing crime drama set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically the most dangerous year in the city's history. Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) owns a fuel delivery company that was purchased from his wife Anna (Jessica Chastain)'s father. I've been amazed at some of the slams this movie has taken. No story? They never really came to a head. "A Most Violent Year" is not for everyone, some will find it too slow, but in the end you should set a date with it. Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter What makes the story work is some great acting. Chandor's film ultimately has its own vibe, though, which is no small feat considering the heavy legacy it bears. D.A. All rights reserved. : First and foremost let's look at the title 'A most violent year' - based on the title you would assume that this film would be a combination of gratuitous violence and multiple killings, but it actually doesn't play out like this at all. But this deal has a risky clause which states that if Abel fails to pay the rest of the due payment, the facility and the deposit will be gone. It's also a story about an immigrant navigating his way among sharks as he attempts to build his version of the American dream. A Most Violent Year (Q15915435) A Most Violent Year. I have no idea what you mean, Abel replies. , Number of discs This is definite kudos to Chandor. Taking Stock of a Most Violent Year Heather Mac Donald The Wall Street Journal January 25, 2021 Policing & Public SafetyAll Urban PolicyCrime Some blamed the mayhem on the pandemic, but persistent cop-bashing emboldened criminals. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. A scene in which he tells some newly promoted customer representatives that, when dealing with clients, they should hold eye contact a second longer than is comfortable seems less a lesson in sales than in acting. He brings what I would describe as restrained menace to the screen, a man who wants to have it all, who could very easily turn into a gangster and is struggling to stay straight when the city he lives and works in all work against him. A MOST VIOLENT YEAR is a thriller set in New York City during the Winter of 1981, statistically one of the most violent years in the city's history. Abels drivers want to arm themselves for protection; Anna wants to go to her mafia family for help. Label. However, that is not exactly the case here. It's an absorbing thriller with good direction and acting so ticks all the boxes. One of the best crime dramas I've seen for a long time, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2016. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. A Most Violent Year is set in the most brutal year in the city's history, when Mayor Koch and the DA would not like it to be so. Also with David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, and Albert Brooks. So I read a lot of complaints about the movie being slow and missing tension and violence. There are shades of gangster movie sentiments - where Abel wants to make his business legitimate (or seem legitimate). However, it was Issac's money starring performance as Abel was what most paramount of "A Most Violent Year"; no doubt the Morales character will remind you of kinder Michael Corleone, but with the same firepower of topping his competitors. It's a major gamble that could pay off big if a few key things go right for him, but in this kind of movie, the "if"s rarely break the hero's way. Instead it focuses on the businessman trying to make a go of it honestly and expand his business. The film is set in 1981 New York, apparently one of the most violent years on record. A Most Violent Year Is a Most Extraordinary Film Oscar Isaac dazzles in J. C. Chandor's gripping, understated thriller. Even when the financial conversations and fine-grained discussion of traditions and codes become, 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards to Celebrate its 2023 Honorees on February 6th, 15 Films We Cant Wait to See at Sundance 2023, 14th Annual African American Film Critics Association Awards Recipients Revealed, Child of Graceland: Lisa Marie Presley (1968-2023). In the script, he answers $500,000. A Most Violent Year: The World into which Jesus was Born Philip Jenkins Posted 16 Dec 2015 Scholars differ on the exact birth date of Jesus of Nazareth, though a fair consensus holds that it was not in the year 1. It isn't remotely violent and instead depicts a self made businessman who is trying to remain calm and make reasonable business decisions in the midst of a particularly violent period in recent NYC history. J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year is almost lyrical in its beauty, exuding a sepia-toned environment that captures essence rather than exploiting nostalgia of the time period. Shootings . A Most Violent Year. Summaries. (Indeed, the movie itself in many ways resembles a smaller-scale The Godfather Part II, and there are echoes, too, of Sidney Lumets 1970s oeuvre.) Casting Net: Julianne Nicholson to play Ethan Hawke's ex-wife. A Most Violent Year is a 2014 American crime drama, directed by J.C. Chandor. Elegant, old school crime thriller. In New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history. The hero, despite a certain reticence about selling what's left of his soul, soon figures out that to get ahead in this world, you have to be cold and calculating, and divest yourself of illusions. , Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, Alessandro Nivola, David Oyelowo, Producers Thankfully this movie does NOT focus so much on the violence. But it was too claustrophobic and clogged with financial minutia to really . There is not much else to say about this movie, other than the fact that I would actually recommend it. , looks like a Brigadoon of urban ethnic machismo. Privacy Policy He tries to do things the most right way but it's struggle in a corrupt industry. It feels as if Chandor wrote the screenplay for these two and it really pays off, especially for Jessica Chastain, who is unbelievably good playing a manipulative Shakespearean femme fatale. The year, 1981, was "statistically the most dangerous year in the citys history," according to A Most Violent Year 's official website. That he continues to operate largely beneath the public radar is nothing short of baffling. Why? As the movie opens, Abel and his attorney (Albert Brooks) are on the verge of taking things to another level altogether, making a cash down payment on a port facility that would enable him to store and move fuel on a vastly larger scale. He's trying to close a deal to buy a fuel terminal. "A Most Violent Year," a 1981 New York period piece written and directed by J.C. Chandor ("All is Lost," "Margin Call"), is that kind of movie. Excellent performances and engaging story kept me involved. Chandor, in contrast, doesn't achieve the same imaginative freedom in "A Most Violent Year," but he's a potentially major talent, emphasis on potentially. Marvin Gaye wails in the background, Make me wanna holler, the way they do my life . : Chandor does drive "A Most Violent Year" in slow mode, but somehow it was the proper gear to propel this story. While Hustle sets the scene with humor and style, Violent is happy to understate lawlessness and concentrate on the dialogue, which has undercurrents of corruption in each syllable. Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6hSubscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUnLike us on FACEBOOK: http://goo.gl/dHs73Follow us on TWITTER: http:/. When "New York, New York" lyricist Fred Ebb wrote that immortal line, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere," it's doubtful he imagined the life-or-death stakes such sentiments take on in. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. When I was 11, it was a very violent year Really Well-Made Film. Though theres little violence portrayed onscreen, Chandor imbues the proceedings with a sense of methodically constricting menace, of unspecified dangers waiting to reveal themselves. Once again, Chandor gives us a well-written, well-acted, beautifully photographed film, on a relatively small budget, that winds up being incredibly watchable. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Oscar Isaac, always great, succeeds in the difficult role of a "bad guy" who isn't really a bad guy; just a man struggling to find success and discovering that one can't be successful and a saint in his competitive line of work. Oscar Isaac as usual is phenomenal. , Product Dimensions Eventually he married the bosss daughter, Anna (Jessica Chastain), took over the business, and grew it quicklytoo quickly in the minds of his competitors. Abel Morales is a businessman who tries to do everything honestly. The only thing he values more than his success is his integrity. Wan na holler, the way they do my life slow and missing and. A businessman who tries to do things the Most right way but it 's an absorbing thriller with Good and! 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