Set in New York City in 1981, the most violent year in that city's history, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR brilliantly tells the story of one man's struggle to succeed while remaining honorable.
Oscar Issac (Ex Machina, Inside Llewyn Davis) turns in another great performance as Abel Morales, an ambitious immigrant looking to expand his fuel business across NYC.
Committed to staying honest, moral and fair, he is challenged not only by the crushing crime surrounding him, but also his wife Anna, whose commitment to morality is far less strenuous.
Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, Interstellar) looks different from any other role I've seen her in, becoming the classic New Jersey housewife who is far more like Tony Soprano than her husband.
Albert Brooks (just as great in a dramatic role as he was in 2011's "Drive") plays Abel's trusted attorney and David Oyelowo (Selma) is very good as the District Attorney balancing his own career with his aggressive pursuit of corruption.
This is Writer/Director J.C. Chandor's third film and it's another winner. There are large sections of the film that seem lifted from the best dramas of the seventies in both style and execution.
Abel's long talks to his employees about how to close a sale and how to win over a customer, leisurely unwind in some of the best dialogue of the year.
As Abel says, "The result is never in question. Just the path you take to get there."
The path that A MOST VIOLENT YEAR takes is well crafted, gritty riveting and smart. An A+, it's criminally unknown, but earns a spot just outside my all time Top 100 films.
Comentários