A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

Director: J. C. Chandor

Screenplay: J. C. Chandor

Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain

Rating: 4⁄5

Chandor has a faultless record as a writer/director with his previous films _Margin Call _and All is Lost. The record continues unblemished with his newest simmering crime drama. This time he is tackling 1981, statistically the most violent year in New York City – hence the title. Trying to expand your business, and wanting to make it to the very top is a dangerous ambition to have, even more so when the climate is this volatile. Yet this does not stop Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) from pushing forward with his plans. He puts in a significant amount of deposit for a new oil refinery, with big dreams to get ahead

Abel faces a lot of challenges to be a successful businessman. His sinister rivals look as though they are up to no good, there is a particularly persistent District Attorney (David Oyelowo) who is investigating Abel’s company for illegal activities, his oil truck drivers are constantly getting attacked and the oil itself is getting stolen left and right. Who is behind this attempted sabotage? It is difficult to tell or pinpoint one person given how many would profit from seeing Abel fall from his position of power. As a hard-working, idealistic immigrant, Abel wants to keep things all legal and clean. He wants to have nothing to hide but when the atmosphere is this corrupt, he soon learns that it becomes increasingly difficult to have his morality intact. His wife Lady Macbeth Anna (Jessica Chastain), on the other hand, is more realistic in her vision of the world, seeing it for what it truly is. She laughs and scoffs at her husband’s naive beliefs.

Always impeccably dressed and accessorised, Chastain’s supporting performance is a real treat. “You’re not gonna like what’ll happen once I get involved” she says, and she means every word. She also has no trouble facing off against the District Attorney, insisting that he should treat her family with a little more respect. Abel’s struggle to keep everything under control as an upstanding citizen is captured immensely well by Isaac, an actor who has racked up a number of impressive roles in a variety of relatively smaller, independent films, largely in supporting roles. Here, he makes for a very engaging lead, and his charismatic presence fits in well with the smart narrative.

Chandor is not interested in packing the film with big, showy scenes that tend to make their appearances during the annual awards seasons. Even in a story that could call for a big bust-up between competitors and a never-ending body count, the film remains intimate, staying as close to the central characters as possible. What secrets, if any, is Abel hiding? Is he really as honourable and trustworthy as he claims to be? Running into financial troubles, and an imminent threat that puts him, his wife, and their daughters at risk, will no doubt push him into the ambiguous, hazy zone of moral values. Keeping the violence mostly at bay, despite the title, delivers further shock to the audience when blood is eventually and unavoidably spilled. The story keeps you guessing, and that is because even the characters themselves cannot figure out just what they are ultimately capable of.