Similar to Inherent Vice, the
hype machine of A Most Violent Year was in full running when I was still abroad
in China. Trailers were hard to find, the internet was horrible, and Collider
was pretty much my only site for movie news. The previews and information on
this movie was fairly steady throughout early to mid-2014, and I for one wasn’t
buying it. It looked like another Scorsese knock-off, adding insult to injury
by taking away Jessica Chastin’s flowing red locks (what an insult!). I missed
the hype the second time around during the Oscar buzz season where, to many
critics dismay, it was completely shafted in nominations but made a fair amount
of critic’s top 10 lists. Still not swayed by these turns of events, I waited
until my mother (as always) sent me a newspaper clip of a review from the
Kansas City star, and on a brisk Saturday afternoon I decided the trek to the
Logan theater to check it out.
After a few days of reflection,
was it worth seeing it? The answer is definitely yes, but I can understand how
this slipped through the Oscar cracks.
A Most Violent Year tells the
story of businessman Abel Morales and his efforts to grow his empire while
remaining a non-made man. His wife Anna comes from a criminal background and
Abel does not want to go down the same path her father did. Road-blocked by his
gangster competition, a “neutral” DA, and frequent high-way robberies, Abel has
to figure out how much of a gangster he wants to be.
The story itself is intense but
can also be slow at times. Thinking back, Abel is in about 90% of the movie
which lends a character study feel to it, although I don’t think that was the
purpose. It was more likely to show the effects of having a torn mentality when
the odds are stacked against you as a man who is trying to run a family and a
business; to that regard it works. To quote Boardwalk Empire, “You can’t be
half a gangster”, and Abel’s actions throughout the movie parallel the same
thin-line that Nuckie Thompson walked.
Since the characters carry the
movie, they obviously put a lot of stake on the actors and it paid off. Oscar Isaac
is quickly becoming a massive force in Hollywood, which is crazy considering
his first major role that I can think of was a deadbeat dad in Drive. He’s
among a new crop of actors (many of which are cast in the new Star Wars) that
sprung up seemingly out of nowhere and are now in everything. To some extent,
Jessica Chastain (Me Amore!) had a similar success and exposure explosion a few
years ago, and together they kill it. Isaac has such range you can picture him
in this role which is the complete antithesis to Llewyn Davis, and tiny Chastain
is as threatening (or more so) as the men who rob her trucks. Their characters
play well off each other, and are what hold your attention throughout.
The cinematography and production
are understated but play well with the theme. The color is under saturated
which gives it a grimy but clear feel (see the metaphor there?), almost the
opposite of a movie like Nightcrawler which shines and blinds with every shot.
As I wasn’t alive at the time, I can’t verify it works as a period piece, but
from what I know of the decade the decadence and overindulgence is played out
effectively. Why would someone who just closed on a giant mansion want to keep
expanding? Because it’s never enough for some people, and that specific decade
brought that in full force. If you want to dig there’s probably some underlying
political or socio-economic message in this, but those aren’t the things that I
am generally well versed in or pick up on a first viewing.
With all the positives, you would
think that this would be up there in my hallowed hall of fame for 2014, and yet
I can’t quite give it that merit. It’s a good film, probably along the same
lines as American Gangster in terms of quality and feel, but it doesn’t really
stick with you. It plays it relatively safe, and while it was enjoyable I don’t
really have a need to see it a second time. There are a couple of really unique
chase scenes that get the blood pumping, but besides that it follows the leads
as they try to scrape together enough money to perform their big purchase.
There’s a lot of (admittedly) intense scenes that take place at tables, but it
feels more like a financial drama than that of life and death. If you like either of the lead performers, it
would be worth checking out in theaters, but outside of that you can probably
wait to see it at home.
Final Grade: B+
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