Movie Rewinds: A Most Violent Year

By Nadia Ranaputri

Source: Entertainment Fuse
 Director: J.C Chandor
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Albert Brooks, Alessandro Nivola, Elyes Gabel.

 I was looking forward to seeing this film for two reasons. One, it has Oscar Isaac in it. Two, it has a very interesting premise.

A Most Violent Year is about an immigrant named Abel Morales (played yet again by Oscar Isaac) who runs an oil company in the year 1981. Things are well at hand until one of his drivers was attacked. Abel, the ever moral businessman, is determined to find the culprit behind the constant attacks on his company whilst refusing to dip his hand into any kind of violence; despite the encouragement from his wife Anna. When he consults with the District Attorney, he finds his company under siege as his company is suddenly investigated for certain felonies that are unidentified to Abel himself.  Because of this, Abel is forced to interfere, while at the same time, avoiding the cheap and dirty ways of running his business.

Oscar Isaac is brilliant as usual in the role of Abel Morales. Unlike Llewyn Davis, Abel is calm and collected. His performance carries every bit of nuance that reflects a sort-of young Al Pacino type. Once he struggles with his inner morals that threaten to destroy both his life and his work, that’s when his performance is the most intriguing.

His performance isn’t the only star of the show. In fact, it’s Jessica Chastain’s fiery character Anna Morales, Abel’s wife; that equally steals the show. Being the daughter of the mobster, Anna is the complete opposite of Abel. As her husband tries his best to maintain is calm and collected demeanor, Anna is the pin in a balloon that seeks to break the air out with a bang. The chemistry between Isaac and Chastain is like water and fire on screen, with Oscar’s Abel being the calm water and Jessica’s Anna being the vicious fire. 

Source: Athena Cinema
While the performances, especially between the two leads, are forms of captivation to behold, the plot itself is very slow. For a film titled A Most Violent Year, you’d think that it would show plenty of violence to match up to its title, but there’s a surprisingly minimal amount of violence that is shown throughout the movie. It’s very dialogue heavy, where characters discuss things from money, economics, to family life. It does get dull at times, but because the film boast quite a brilliant script, most of the dialogue is smart enough to hook the audience in with the situation.

For me, this was a film that required multiple viewings to really get in to the story. On first viewing, I thought the film had a dull progress, but I found myself watching it again and again to the point where I was actually hooked most of the time. It’s one of those films that you’d find tedious at first, yet after the first viewing, it seems as if that particular film is begging you to watch again until you fully understand and appreciate where they were going with it. This is mostly helped by the performances of the actors and how they delivered their lines. The film does improve once you start to appreciate it, but it doesn’t mean that you should watch it multiple times to get that type of feel. It just depends on how you think about it.


Source: fanart.tv
Beyond the story, I absolutely loved the cinematography of this film. The film plays with its colors and shots that embrace that 1981 setting. Completed with the catchy tunes of that era, the film knows its setting and it puts the colors from bright to slightly dim to play out on the screen.

A Most Violent Year truly has an interesting premise and a great cast on its belt, but the story does get dull. It took me a few more viewings to really appreciate where they were going with the film. Then again, it depends on the viewer who watches the film. When the story falls flat, it’s the intriguing performances and beautiful cinematography that gets the spotlight and are the true stars of the film that keeps the story from ever doing so again once it progresses.

Stars: 3.5/5

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