Even though it felt like I was in the theater for a year when watching "A Most Violent Year", can anyone explain what was up with the title? This entire movie takes place in the span of a month, am I right? I've heard from other critics (who loved this film) that this title is justified because 1981 (the year this movie is set) was statistically the most violent year in New York City history. But even so, the plot takes place in one month of this most violent year. Was this meant to be ironic? Am I missing something? Or maybe I'm just putting too much emphasis on the title. OK then, allow me to move on and review the actual movie.
"A Most Violent Year" is a poorly lit drama, without much violence or seasonal change. It centers around an immigrant who runs a large oil company in New York City, played by the brilliant Oscar Isaac. As he is on the verge of a business deal which would solidify his idea of the American Dream, his trucks begin to repeatedly get high-jacked. With that problem striking fear into his drivers and with the news of a possible indictment looming from the local DA, this man, who on face value seems like a nice guy, may be forced to become that gangster that he never wanted to be.
Written and directed by JC Chandor (Margin Call, All Is Lost) one of the most ambitious writer/directors working today, and aside from Aaron Sorkin, may have the largest vocabulary in Hollywood, "A Most Violent Year" is dense as far as the dialogue is concerned; so dense that I wouldn't blame some viewers for becoming a bit confused as to what is actually happening within the plot at any given moment. But this isn't the problem.
Yes, the performances here are excellent, but other than Oscar Isaac, nobody is given anything to do; and this is a supporting cast which includes Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo and Albert Brooks. And yes, there are a few poetically delivered, existential Chandor lines of dialogue and a few scenes of suspense. But even those (the one big chase sequence in particular) result in these anti-climatic resolutions that may leave you more than a little irritated with Chandor's decision making.
Final Thought: Have you ever had an instance when watching a movie where you spot a bad piece of editing (a woman's hair is down in one shot and in the next shot it's up, even though it's supposedly two seconds later in the same scene) or have an epiphany concerning a gaping plot hole near the beginning of the film, and for the rest of it, no matter what happens in terms of the plot development, you've become so fixated on this "distraction" that you can't enjoy the film anymore? This title was my distraction. OK, seriously, as much as I would like to blame my disappointment in this highly anticipated film on that trivial aspect, the fact is that my rating of "A Most Violent Year" comes down to the fact that nothing much happens throughout, in way of entertainment.
"A Most Violent Year" is a poorly lit drama, without much violence or seasonal change. It centers around an immigrant who runs a large oil company in New York City, played by the brilliant Oscar Isaac. As he is on the verge of a business deal which would solidify his idea of the American Dream, his trucks begin to repeatedly get high-jacked. With that problem striking fear into his drivers and with the news of a possible indictment looming from the local DA, this man, who on face value seems like a nice guy, may be forced to become that gangster that he never wanted to be.
Written and directed by JC Chandor (Margin Call, All Is Lost) one of the most ambitious writer/directors working today, and aside from Aaron Sorkin, may have the largest vocabulary in Hollywood, "A Most Violent Year" is dense as far as the dialogue is concerned; so dense that I wouldn't blame some viewers for becoming a bit confused as to what is actually happening within the plot at any given moment. But this isn't the problem.
Yes, the performances here are excellent, but other than Oscar Isaac, nobody is given anything to do; and this is a supporting cast which includes Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo and Albert Brooks. And yes, there are a few poetically delivered, existential Chandor lines of dialogue and a few scenes of suspense. But even those (the one big chase sequence in particular) result in these anti-climatic resolutions that may leave you more than a little irritated with Chandor's decision making.
Final Thought: Have you ever had an instance when watching a movie where you spot a bad piece of editing (a woman's hair is down in one shot and in the next shot it's up, even though it's supposedly two seconds later in the same scene) or have an epiphany concerning a gaping plot hole near the beginning of the film, and for the rest of it, no matter what happens in terms of the plot development, you've become so fixated on this "distraction" that you can't enjoy the film anymore? This title was my distraction. OK, seriously, as much as I would like to blame my disappointment in this highly anticipated film on that trivial aspect, the fact is that my rating of "A Most Violent Year" comes down to the fact that nothing much happens throughout, in way of entertainment.