Film review: A Most Violent Year weaves storylines with skill
An honourable family man tries his damnedest not to get dirty in A Most Violent Year, a crime drama which seems to derive its title from the unknowable menace hovering over its fiercely competitive protagonists rather than any excessive gangland violence you might have expected onscreen.
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo
Director: J.C. Chandor
Category: IIB
An honourable family man tries his damnedest not to get dirty in A Most Violent Year, a crime drama which seems to derive its title from the unknowable menace hovering over its fiercely competitive protagonists rather than any excessive gangland violence you might have expected onscreen.
Set in a crime-ridden New York in the winter of 1981, this intricate third feature by writer-director J.C. Chandor ( Margin Call, All is Lost) channels its American dream motif through Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), the Latino immigrant owner of a domestic heating-oil company he inherited from the mobster father of his wife, Anna (Jessica Chastain, left, with Isaac).
A sharp-suited businessman with a penchant for snappy monologues, Abel is desperate to stay clear of illegal activities even when everyone else appears to be conspiring against his efforts to maintain a successful business — sometimes even while risking the safety of his own family and employees.
For example, he objects to the idea of arming his tanker-truck drivers despite repeated threats from violent robbers.
Abel faces hard decisions in finding money to close a property deal that could ultimately make or break his fortune.