He said, "It was a great period to set a story up and have this character study that I'd been working on for years set in this moment.". He's Pacino without the edge. Read full review. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2015. When another heist occurs and one of his driver fires shots, Abel has to go himself and find the missing driver to turn him to the police. His aim to close a major oil deal amidst the heat of the local bureau of investigations and coping with the underhand strategies of his cutthroat competitors. The driver Julian is found, but he ran away when hes about to be turned in. He's Pacino without the edge. It is a portrait of a time and place: (New York City, 1981); of an industry beset by corruption and violence (the home-heating-fuel business); and of a man, Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), pushing relentlessly to succeed in that industry despite the pressure mounting from all sides. However, if you are a person who possess some level of appreciation for film and would like to see a good, albeit slow tale, I would highly recommend this movie. The most notorious recent example is the case of Christian Romero, the 8-year-old Arizona boy who in 2008 was accused of using a .22-caliber rifle to kill his father and another man, a family friend. A slow burner reminiscent of the films of the seventies with echoes of the Godfather permeating throughout, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2015. There is not much else to say about this movie, other than the fact that I would actually recommend it. Objectively speaking, they might be partially right, but that doesn't make this film objectively bad. Bradford Young is an amazing cinematographer and really does well behind the camera but I don't feel as though he captured the essence of 1981. Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain in "A Most Violent Year" Atsushi Nishijima/ A24 Films. It's 1981 NYC, and it's not American Hustle. Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. Without knowing a thing about A Most Violent Year, I looked forward to a police procedural or a mafia thriller, dealing with the homicidal apex to the desperation of the recession of 1980. Directors J.C. Chandor Starring READ MORE: Oscar Isaac Says "Dune" Is a Timely Story for Our Political Climate Set in New York City in 1981, "A Most Violent Year" follows one family as it straddles two worlds. In 1981, an immigrant oilman struggles to improve his fortune and protect his family during the most dangerous year in New York City's history. On the technical side, Bluray picture was pretty good, nice and sharp on a big cinema screen. (David Oyelowo of "Selma") is riding him like an old dray horse. Start Shopping 124min age 17+ 90% 69% People Also Watched It's quite good, for what it is. A MOST VIOLENT YEAR will probably not be to everyone's taste, particularly those who want something with higher stakes or a more high-octane feel to it, but for people who appreciate a moody, character-driven drama this should do just fine. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. This ismesmerizing, up to a point, thanks to Isaac's cinematically borrowed but still palpable magnetism and the coiled intensity of the supporting players, and from cinematographer Bradford Young's lighting, which imparts a purgatorial gloom to conversations about capital and interest, respect and disrespect. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. Those films were intelligent and promising, but "A Most Violent Year" is of a whole other order, an inspired work of many moving parts, all working and building and converging. One of the best crime dramas I've seen for a long time, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2016. Jessica Chastain is unpredictable. When I was 11, it was a very violent year Really Well-Made Film. What you get here is a thoughtful character piece about one man doing everything in his power to protect the business that he's spent years building up. Abel has to scramble to get the money for the terminal before he loses his deposit. Fine movie, bad ending, look for a sequel. Is it a bit TOO quiet and a bit TOO slow at times? A lot of USA films of late are shot in winter in the industrial north east for that gritty effect and this film follows that trend. His trucks have been targeted by robbers from the last few months, which scared his drivers. For choices related to cookies and mobile advertising IDs, please see 'Manage Preferences' below. The film's title refers to an actual, statistical designation: 1981 was the most violent year in New York City history up till that point, with1,841 homicides (the number climbed through 1991 before starting to level off). Technically,one of the last movies released in 2014 on the year's final day, just in time for award season, cause it's that type of movie to impress awarders. So I read a lot of complaints about the movie being slow and missing tension and violence. But when done it is realistic and dramatic. Movie had a lot of action! But that is irrelevant, because Chandor's picture is not much about violence, but on entrepreneur competitive tactics to supersede competitors; even though some of the players involved here do bring violence in the mix. To start off, both of these actors deliver career best performances and make you feel every word their saying. Just watched this movie last night. When "New York, New York" lyricist Fred Ebb wrote that immortal line, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere," it's doubtful he imagined the life-or-death stakes such sentiments take on in. His screenplay was solid but not even close as one of the best in "a most competitive year" of terrific screenplays in the film year of 2014. Oh, boy, is it that kind of movie. But they mean plenty to Abel Morales ( Oscar Isaac) in A Most Violent Year, set in the winter chill of 1981 New York,. A Most Violent Year: The World into which Jesus was Born Philip Jenkins Posted 16 Dec 2015 Scholars differ on the exact birth date of Jesus of Nazareth, though a fair consensus holds that it was not in the year 1. The problems of an indie heating-oil company may seem like small potatoes. The breadth and rigor of those ambitions come into focus only gradually, and prove a source of fascination to those around him. Despite the fact that this was a pretty decent film I can't help but wonder if the writers and filmmakers lacked a little confidence in their product. : Starring: Oscar Isaac Jessica Chastain David Oyelowo Alessandro Nivola Albert Brooks. With 30 days to secure the $1.5 million he needs to close the deal, Abel appears to be fulfilling his ambitions. When Abel goes to Lefkowitz for a loan and Lorraine asks him how much he needs, he replies: "A million and a half dollars." A Most Violent Year is a 2014 American crime drama film written and directed by J. C. Chandor. This is a film that fits very nicely in between The French Connection and Serpico. Chastain was sound, but a bit underused; and that is never a good thing when we are talking about one of the greatest, if not the greatest, actress working today. 43. Marvin Gaye wails in the background, Make me wanna holler, the way they do my life . Not for the Fast n' Furious Crowd, A gritty, atmospheric throwback crime thriller with its cast in top form. Mostly though, it manages to be a solid little award-season drama. Most of the complaints I've seen being leveled against this film from some of the recent reviews here say something about it being too slow, or boring, not enough action, etc. Oscar Isaacs did a good job and the storyline was unique. Chandor does drive "A Most Violent Year" in slow mode, but somehow it was the proper gear to propel this story. Thankfully this movie does NOT focus so much on the violence. First and foremost let's look at the title 'A most violent year' - based on the title you would assume that this film would be a combination of gratuitous violence and multiple killings, but it actually doesn't play out like this at all. Image. Well take a look and remove the review if it doesnt follow our guidelines. 'A most violent year' is an extremely thoughtful and measured drama. Language. In New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history. Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain star in this drama. But I found the film riveting: excellent plotting, great writing and superb performances. Statistically 1981 was one of if not THE most violent year in the history of New York, and against that backdrop a small heating-oil business is facing pressure on several fronts; at a basic level its trucks are being hi-jacked to the point where drivers are afraid to venture out; fiscally they are under investigation for dodgy bookkeeping and the bank pulls out as guarantor for a 1.5 mil loan they need to expand. Cinemark , Media Format A Most Violent Year | Official Teaser Trailer HD | A24 A24 860K subscribers Subscribe 738 702K views 8 years ago SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/A24subscribe New York City, 1981. There's outstanding use of New York locations, some cunningly staged moments of suspense and violence, and smart deployment of TV newscasts as a mostly unremarked-upon Greek chorus. Though theres little violence portrayed onscreen, Chandor imbues the proceedings with a sense of methodically constricting menace, of unspecified dangers waiting to reveal themselves. There's talk of honor and integrity and tradition, of old ways passing and a meaner, pettier, more chaotic, new way taking its place. In addition to eliciting such strong performances across the board, he has constructed an intricate film out of immaculately realized set pieces: the ominous sound that awakens Abel in the night, a precarious dinner with the bankers subsidizing his bid, an edge-of-the-seat foot chase on the 59th Street Bridge. : A Most Violent Year 2014 Full Movie HD https://flixshd.com/movie/tt2937898Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 . In 1981 New York City, Abel Morales, from an immigrant background, is trying to live the American Dream on his own moral terms. It was the best film of the year that slipped under the radar. This is definite kudos to Chandor. Summaries. Style and substance replace noisy, quick-cut editing and chaotic noise. A Most Violent Year concerns a child of immigrants, Abel, engaged in a business that exists thanks to his familyin this case, his wife and bookkeeper Anna (Jessica Chastain), who more than . The hero, despite a certain reticence about selling what's left of his soul, soon figures out that to get ahead in this world, you have to be cold and calculating, and divest yourself of illusions. Oscar Isaac stars in this searing crime thriller set in 1981 New York City. J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year takes place in 1981 New York City the year New York suffered more murders than in any other. Gritty, gripping, and weighted with thought-provoking heft, A Most Violent Year represents another strong entry in writer-director J.C. Chandor's impressive filmography. Terms and Policies Mystery & thriller, Video: Jessica Chastain Talks Lady Macbeth & Heating Oil. It is an organized crime film, or a family drama, or a big city nightmare, or all three things at once. But she's also a borderline Lady Macbeth figure who often chides her husband for not being as hard as he should be, because this is a hard, shadowy world, and these are mean streets. Drama, Fastidious in appearance and precise in diction, Isaacs Abel is a portrait of a man obsessed with maintaining control, both of himself and of his surroundings. The screenplay, as I said above, is terrific. One of best crime thrillers in years. Read critic reviews. I can certainly understand a viewer attracted to the film because of the word "violence" ibeing disappointed at seeing so little on the screen. , Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, Alessandro Nivola, David Oyelowo, Producers He is charging Abel mostly due to Anna's corrupt father. Stay up-to-date on all the latest Rotten Tomatoes news! The American director James Gray also has made this kind of sideways homage, channeling the gangster pictures of Martin Scorsese and Francis Coppola and the big city thrillers of Sidney Lumet ("Serpico"), with a moremeditativepace. While Hustle sets the scene with humor and style, Violent is happy to understate lawlessness and concentrate on the dialogue, which has undercurrents of corruption in each syllable. Colombian-born but thoroughly Americanized, Abel got his start as a truck driver for a small-time, mobbed-up boss. Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur clearly have a lot to answer for and their influence is for far-reaching than they knew. D.A. As if that's not enough pressure, Abel's company is under pressure from competitors. A Most Violent Year $3.99 $14.99 Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping. Isaac carries the film with his performance, the plot does move a little slowly at times and there are merely a few adrenaline peaks. Oscar Isaac stars as Abel Morales, an Hispanic-American fuel trader with serious designs on some dockside property that would give him unchecked access to the most cost-effective importing of overseas petroleum. Casting Net: Julianne Nicholson to play Ethan Hawke's ex-wife. It feels as if Chandor wrote the screenplay for these two and it really pays off, especially for Jessica Chastain, who is unbelievably good playing a manipulative Shakespearean femme fatale. Oscar Isaac has been extremely good in previous rolesfor instance, as a likable ex-con in Drive and as an unlikable folk singer in Inside Llewyn Davisbut he is an utter revelation as Abel, the quiet power of his performance recalling early Pacino. Coming into it I was really unsure what to think of it, it seemed like an interesting premise and set in New York in '81 was exciting in terms of location. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. This was spoken during the shoot and the newer figure changed in post-production. We follow Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), who runs Standard Oil, a heating oil company that has been plagued by frequent hijackings of the company's utility trucks, resulting in thousands of dollars in lost materials. A Most Violent Year is set in the most brutal year in the city's history, when Mayor Koch and the DA would not like it to be so. Thankfully, there's more to it than violence! 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