Directed,
produced and written by J C Chandor A Most Violent Year (2014) is a
crime drama set in New York City during the winter of 1981 said to be one of
the most violent in the city's history. Our story involves Abel Morales, a man
with ambition who wants to expand his heating oil company by purchasing a dual
oil terminal on the East River. This will allow him to get one over on his
competitors by allowing him to directly import fuel oil from barges and to
store more oil in the summer months when the price is low. Placing a down
payment of 40% on the property with an agreement that the outstanding amount
must be settled in 30 days otherwise he looses both the property and his
deposit. But Morales has a problem in that his Standard Oil Company is being
plagued by the hijacking of several of his trucks and their cargo of oil
stolen, a problem that’s making it harder to raise the money for the
outstanding 60%.
Morales business is not going to plan.... |
A
grand cast makes this crime drama very easy to enjoy. Oscar Isaac, whose
performance in the Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) won him many plaudits
plays Morales 'a good man who deserves respect' with the very attractive Jessica
Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty 2012) as his wife Anna a woman
that would sooner dispense with arbitration replacing it with pure old
fashioned violence. David Oyelowo seen recently in Selma (2014) where he played Martin Luther King Jnr is an
Assistant District Attorney determined to expose price fixing, tax evasion and
other illegalities involving the heating oil business in general and Morales in
particular.
The
film has a cracking musical score composed by Alex Ebert, and has been
deservedly nominated for whole clutch of film awards. As I said a film to enjoy
and one that grows on you as the story unfolds. Commendably it down plays the
violence normally associated with this type of film with Chandor attempting to
put across the idea that violence is contagious but all the same it’s a good
atmospheric thriller and one I can certainly recommend.
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