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A Most Violent Year Movie Review

A Most Violent Year is a 2014 crime drama film directed by J. C. Chandor and starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. It’s a very well acted, but weakly plotted film.

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“When it feels scary to jump,

that is exactly when you jump,

otherwise you end up staying in the same place

your whole life, and that I can’t do“

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In 1981 New York, a fuel supplier tries to adhere to his own moral compass amid the rampant violence, corruption and decay that threaten his family and his business. This year was apparently one of the worst in the history of NYC, which this movie purportedly tried to depict, but it ended up being way too slow and sluggish to make any impact and to garner any momentum.

Unlike most other crime movies, this one isn’t all that violent, which I certainly appreciated. The movie’s dramatic moments are also quite good as the dialogue is realistic and some conversations are quite interesting. But the plot doesn’t go anywhere and the very dreary, monotonous atmosphere did not do the movie any favors unfortunately. It needed more memorable action set pieces and cinematic moments to elevate its pedestrian script.

The best reason to see A Most Violent Year is for the acting performances. David Oyelowo is quite good in a lesser role. Oscar Isaac is excellent in the main role as he’s both very believable and apt at playing different moods effortlessly. The standout, though, is Jessica Chastain who stole the show even from Isaac with her powerhouse, emotionally charged performance. It’s a shame that she did not get more screen time at the end of the day as she’s the highlight here.

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A Most Violent Year is not all that well directed. J. C. Chandor is an overrated director who makes films that are too limited in scope and too dreary in tone. He did not manage to elevate this movie with stronger technical aspects as the cinematography, score and production design are only serviceable. Again, the dialogue and acting are quite strong, but nowadays television shows are more cinematic than this sluggish piece of filmmaking.