One of the best films of 2015, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR was about New York City in its most crime-ridden year of 1981. Oscar Isaac starred as ambitious Colombian immigrant Abel Morales, who began his career as a truck driver for a heating oil biz run by a mobster whose daughter Anna (Jessica Chastain) he eventually married. Abel took over ‘Standard Heating Oil’, and grew it quickly – but too quickly in the eyes of his competitors. As the movie opened, Abel and his attorney (Albert Brooks) are on the verge of a big move – borrowing a million and a half dollars to buy two oil tanks in a prime area of Queens. With 30 days to secure the cash needed to close the deal, it’s a risky investment, but if all goes according to Abel’s plan, he will eventually be able to store and move fuel on a larger scale. But Abel’s dream soon begins to fall apart. Armed thugs, likely employed by his competitors, are assaulting his oil truck drivers and stealing the fuel. A district attorney (David ‘MLK’ Oyelowo) lets Abel know that he’s prepared to hand down corruption indictments on the company. Abel’s drivers want to carry guns for protection and Anna wants to go to her mafia-connected family for assistance. But Abel resists, insisting on doing things legally as the only thing he values more than his ambition is his honor, or as he tells his wife: “I’ve spent my whole life trying not to be a gangster.”
Writer/Director J.C. Chandor (MARGIN CALL, ALL IS LOST) has done something that I wasn’t sure was possible in this age of instant gratification: make a compelling crime movie without cheap theatrics or even a single murder. One of the most refreshing things about A MOST VIOLENT YEAR was the manner in which it combines genres in unexpected ways. The basic framework was familiar: corrupt cops, corrupt city officials, corrupt union bullies, and corrupt lawyers. But, if you thought you’d seen this story already, you received more than one surprise. Not only did Chandor throw away almost every stereotype in favor of real, three-dimensional characters, he wrote a script of unexpected intelligence and perceptiveness. For a film with the word ‘violent’ in the title, there was surprisingly little carnage, but the threat of menace was always there and the lack of bloodshed is not something you really noticed until the film is over. There was an edge-of-the-seat foot chase on the Queensboro Bridge and a terrific car pursuit when Abel spots one of his trucks being commandeered, but that action that existed to serve the story. Like the films of director Sidney Lumet, whose work Chandlor’s film echoes, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR was knowledgeable about the city of New York and the people who make accommodations with it. His script was savvy about a number of things. Not only did it have a good feel for both sides of the union corruption issue, it was aware of the political rivalries and behind-the-scenes dealmaking that keeps a city running.
Oscar Isaac’s calm, careful portrayal was one of A MOST VIOLENT YEAR’s great pleasures. The opposite of a bloodthirsty immigrant like SCARFACE’s Tony Montana, Abel was the low-key anti-gangster. Fastidious in his wardrobe and exact in his speech, Isaac’s Abel was a portrait of a man obsessed with remaining in control while staying within the law. A scene in which he tells newly-promoted sales reps precisely how to deal with prospective clients; accept tea instead of coffee, hold eye contact longer than one comfortably should, was a marvel of acting, yet Isaac rarely raised his voice or even emotes. That was left to Jessica Chastain, who played Anna as a ruthless, business-like woman who controls and manipulates her husband’s principals into the illegal model of success she grew up knowing. Hers was a complex character and a startling, show-stealing performance that I’m stunned was passed over for a supporting Oscar nod.
Thematically, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR blended the detailed union workings of ON THE WATERFRONT with THE GODFATHER’s notions of loyalty and family. Much is made of the bond between boss and employee, and we get to feel the weight of what these men feel for each other, making the necessary betrayals later on that much more significant. This was a picture that’s at times exciting, at times meditative, never boring and always engaging.
Lionsgate releases A MOST VIOLENT YEAR on Blu-ray April 7th and We Are Movie Geeks has had a peek:
The A MOST VIOLENT YEAR Blu-ray features a faithful, notably filmic 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer with very little to criticize. Keeping with the ‘70s vibe, the Blu-ray offers an altogether sound, albeit purposefully subdued presentation backed by striking desaturated colors, relatively lifelike skintones, smoky but satisfying black levels and finely tuned contrast. Grain is intact as well, without anything in the way of unevenness or errant noise, and detail is quite strong. There also isn’t any significant artifacting, or aliasing display, meaning A MOST VIOLENT YEAR’s Blu-ray debut falls perfectly in line with its theatrical presentation.
Lionsgate’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is more involving than I anticipated, and quite a bit more aggressive. Great weight and intensity are brought to scenes that benefit greatly from both – the ambient city sounds, the occasional gunshot and tire squeal, and the hushed, low-key dialog are all brought to life. Alex Ebert’s unobtrusive score rounds out the soundscape.
The A MOST VIOLENT YEAR Blu-ray is fleshed out with a healthy does of extras:
–Audio Commentary with Writer/Director J.C. Chandor and Producers Neal Dodson and Anna Gerb
–Behind the Violence
–A Conversation with Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac
–The Contagious Nature of Violence: The Origins of A Most Violent Year
–Deleted Scenes
–Inner City Crew Outtakes
–We Can Cure Violence Public Service Announcement
