J C Chandor (2014)
Picture it: New York City, 1981, pre-Giuliani/Goldilocks days, when to venture north of 72nd Street, south of 23d, east of 3d Ave and west of 6th was potentially hazardous to the health, to say nothing of the other 4 boroughs. But you know this, you've seen it filmed by the divine Martin Scorsese and imitated profusely, with varying degrees of success. A Most Violent Year is something else.
A Most Violent Year is J C Chandor 3d film. His 1st, Margin Call (2011, like Year, both written and directed by Chandor), is the most dramatically potent examination of the financial crises of the current dismal state of financial capitalism I've seen to date.
In not totally dissimilar vein, A Most Violent Year tells the story of up-and-coming Latino impresario Abel Morales [Oscar Isaac, also up-and-coming and who patently spent a lot of time watching Al Pacino in The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola 1970-2) in preparation for this role] who is trying to expand his semi-legal liquid gas transportation business against fierce competition from people whose offers are often hard to refuse, mysterious attacks on his truck fleet and a police investigation run by investigators with an agenda.
In spite of the Violent title, there's very few shots or punches considering the subject matter, but instead an exceptionally tight and intelligent script, portraying the dealings and mores of the era with a verisimilitude and sobriety seldom seen in the genre, to which Chandor's skill for actor directing, already patent despite his still short canon, and Bradford Young's moody cinematography, reportedly using mainly natural lighting, contribute decisively.
A most pleasant surprise and most welcome respite from the visual or conceptual flash contemporary cinema increasingly resorts to in its desperate search for attention.