A Most Violent Year (2014) is a measured thriller, impeccably shot and well-observed dramatically, yet occasionally distant and cold. Writer-director J.C. Chandor leans on a throwback style easier to respect than like, with its excellent cast providing much of its power.Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) runs an oil trucking company in 1981 New York. Seemingly on the verge of making it big, Morales hits complications: violent hijackings against his fleet, an Assistant DA's (David Oyelowo) investigation into his business practices, threats and intimidation from rival companies. His wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) encourages him to take whatever action necessary to protect his business, including violence; after a failed loan and further robberies, Abel reaches out to a mafioso (Alessandro Nivola) for assistance.
At its best, A Most Violent Year approaches the gritty, absorptive realism of thrillers like Serpico and The Friends of Eddie Coyle. Chandor and photographer Bradford Young cast '80s New York in a gold-green pallor, contrasting overlit interiors with impeccably shadowed and composed interior dialogues. The movie unspools in measured confrontations, with characters hiding stilettos under terse, indirect dialog occasionally punctured with violence and Alex Ebert's subtly menacing score. Most of the movie plays leisurely, expanding Abel's plight into a layered portrait of amoral capitalism.
Certainly Year's arc is familiar, with Abel starting as an upright businessman whose only improprieties are commonplace filching. Confronted with escalating violence and government investigation, he finds his attorney (Albert Brooks) abandoning him and hard-luck employee Julian (Elyes Gabel) driven unwittingly outside the law. Anna, daughter of a crime boss, has no illusions about what's necessary, couching her calls to violence in paeans to family that Vito Corleone would appreciate. Indeed, Abel's dilemma resembles Michael Corleone's, with Oscar Isaac's resemblance to a young Al Pacino surely not coincidental.
But Year occasionally drifts into tedium, trying to keep its myriad subplots moving in harmony with its character beats. Chandor punctuates slower passages with action scenes (a shootout-foot chase on the Williamsburg Bridge) and mob hits (a salesman murdered in a garbage truck) that provide meat but don't always advance the plot. Towards the end, the movie starts introducing supporting characters who are murkily tied into Abel's business woes but don't register strongly enough to drive the plot, while Julian's subplot is forgotten until a tacked-on tragedy removes him from the story.
Oscar Isaac sells Abel's slide from morality to pragmatism with intense conviction, a potentially rote character made compelling. Jessica Chastain (working through a shaky Brooklyn accent) provides her customary blend of fire and intelligence, goading Abel into action while intimidating investigators and shooting the occasional deer. David Oyelowo is straight-jacketed in a thankless role, while Albert Brooks, Alessandro Nivola, Jerry Adler and Elyes Gabel provide no-nonsense character work.
A Most Violent Year might have benefited from a more vibrant approach, yet there's something to be said for its measured staging. So many movies rely on mindless action and broad dramaturgy that it's requires some adjustment; even in its weaker moments, it's smart, well-crafted and generally compelling.
