Review: JC Chandor's 'A Most Violent Year' starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain

There are many different ways a person can be tested, but not all of them make for good movies. With only three movies to his credit, J.C. Chandor has taken audiences through three very different fights for survival, each more gripping than the last. Margin Call, for which he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay, took us through an intense economic meltdown; All is Lost depicted a physical battle for survival against Mother Nature. Chandor's latest, the gripping crime-thriller A Most Violent Year is his most perceptive yet and looks at one man's quest to achieve the American Dream while enduring the moral pitfalls at every turn.

A Most Violent Year is something of a cross between The Godfather and Macbeth; it's about power, the corrupting influence of it and the constant need to attain more of it. But the film is also about the choices made along the way. Does having power matter if the road to getting it is littered with moral and ethical compromises? Oscar Isaac, looking more like a young Al Pacino than ever before, plays Abel Morales, a heating oil magnate in 1981 New York. It's the most violent year in the city's record and Abel is dealing with a dilemma. He's just put down a hefty deposit for a prime piece of land that will completely evolve his business, but the balance must be paid within 30 days or the deal is off and the down payment lost. However his trucks are being hijacked at an increasing clip and the drivers are looking to arm themselves, which would be illegal. Oh, and the District Attorney (David Oyelowo) is in the midst of dogged investigation into the business for possible violations.

Making for a fiery, well-dressed instigator is his wife, Anna (Jessica Chastain), the daughter of a mob boss who happens to be the business' original owner. She has her husband's back through thick and thin but she's got a dangerous edge that he simply doesn't. She's her father's daughter, that's for sure, and is willing to cross boundaries that Abel won't. As his pride clashes with her ambition the sparks ignite in unexpectedly gripping ways without fully crossing over into a murderous gangster movie. While there are brief bursts of violence you keep waiting for some kind of turf war to erupt but that never happens. Chandor instead thrills us with the choices his characters make and the implications of them. When Anna breaks out a gun for the first time we know it's going to be trouble. When hijackers seem to be targeting a weak-willed driver (Elyes Gamble) it turns into a situation that could destroy everything Abel has built. And through all of this Chandor keeps the tension on a slow boil, feeding us just enough action to keep us on the edge of our seats. A close-quarters shoot-out in the city streets followed by a dangerous foot race into the bowels of the city pay off in spades. Not every subplot pays off as satisfactorily as they could as Chandor tries to juggle a bit too much for everything to wrap up neatly.

After only dealing with Robert Redford in All is Lost, Chandor has gathered a superb and very large ensemble for A Most Violent Year. Isaac can add another must-see performance to his impressive resume as the calculating, simmering Abel. Chastain gets the flashiest role and the flashiest outfits as Anna, nailing a Brooklyn accent and Brooklyn swagger like a pro. Albert Brooks, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Oyelowo all bring their A-game to the table as Chandor proves again how good he is at pulling forth the best from his stars. Meanwhile cinematographer Bradford Young evokes the gritty street-level feel of early Martin Scorsese and Sydney Lumet, which when paired with Chandor's sharp screenplay makes A Most Violent Year one of the best crime movies in recent memory. Ultimately it's a film about doing whatever it takes to survive without losing one's sense of self in the process. They don't make movies like this much anymore when they used to be commonplace. A Most Violent Year is truly a rare breed.

 Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Travis Hopson's 20 Best Movies of 2014

Everybody calls their list the "best of the year" but don't we really mean our favorites? I'm less interested in what somebody thinks is the best film than learning about the movies that touched them personally. I think we'd see very different "end of the year" coverage if everybody took that approach, and it's what I always try to do when putting together my list.

At the time I'm putting this together I've seen 271 movies, the most I've ever seen by a fairly large margin. I saw 226 films in 2013, a personal record at the time. And seeing so many has both helped and hindered my ability to decide on my favorites. So I'm cheating a little bit and giving some love to my top 20 movies of the year, because I won't be able to sleep knowing some of these weren't mentioned in some small way. Besides, there were a lot of movies on my "Worsts List" so it's only fair to offer more that you might actually want to seek out.

Because I'm a big dork you probably guessed there are a few superhero movies that made the cut, obviously. The X-men bobble heads on my disk nodding their approval as I type that out. And it's not lost on me that a handful of my favorite flicks this year explored the personal connection between an artist and their craft. Some of these films I've been championing all year, some just snuck up on me in the last couple of weeks, but overall it's a pretty diverse range I think. So check out my top 20 films below, be sure to take a look at all of our end of the year review, and let me know your thoughts. Oh, and please spare me the "How could you leave this off??" emails! Just because a movie missed the list doesn't mean I hate it.

20. Begin Again (review here)
19. Whiplash (review here)
18. John Wick (review here)
17. Calvary (review here)
16. Big Hero 6 (review here)
15. Starred Up (review here)
14. Obvious Child (review here)
13. I Origins (review here)
12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (review here)
11. God Help the Girl (review here)

10. Chef (review here)
Maybe it's thoughts of my own father that inspires my love for Jon Favreau's culinary comedy, Chef. While the film draws parallels with Favreau's filmmaking career, going from inspired indie stalwart to bored purveyor of blockbuster fluff, it's also the story of a father who hopes to pass on a meaningful legacy to his son. My father passed down his love of movies to me, the same way Favreau's character passes on a good grilled cheese, and for that I'm forever grateful. Favreau's film sees him returning to the art house world, bringing along some big names like Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Sofia Vergara, for a mouth-watering road trip film that will make you laugh, cry, and book dinner reservations with the quickness. He plays a big time chef who has lost his creative mojo, but recaptures it after opening a food truck with his kid.

9. Top Five (review here)

Another movie about an entertainer coming to terms with his own popularity, Chris Rock's Top Five bristles with the energy of the streets and the comedian's scathing stand-up act. Rock plays essentially a version of himself as a funnyman looking to become a serious actor, but finding that nobody really cares about all that stuff. It's Rock's most personal film to date, and so it makes sense that it's also the one where he gets the most raw. He rips into Hollywood stereotypes and tears into issues of love, sex, politics, and race, all the while forging an unbreakable romantic bond with co-star Rosario Dawson. I even loved his top 5 list of hip-hop's greatest rappers. That's how deep my love of this movie goes.

8. The Fault in Our Stars (review here)
 I'm not supposed to want to watch a movie like this a bunch of times, right? And yet The Fault in Our Stars is a movie I could watch endlessly because it's not so much about the pain of dying, but the joys of life. With a wry sense of humor, a dash of teen angst, and two remarkable performances by Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, this adaptation of John Green's best-selling novel refuses to give in to cliches of the genre. While definitely a weeper requiring an entire box of Kleenex to endure, there is never a manipulative moment even when it would have been easier story-wise for there to be one.

7. Birdman (review here)
 I hate when people say Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's kinetic, virtuoso meta-comedy Birdman is Michael Keaton's big comeback. He's been great for a long time and his talents didn't diminish just because he's been out of the spotlight. Birdman is the most high-profile thing he's done in awhile (Need for Speed doesn't count because it sucks) and as Riggan Thompson, a former superhero actor looking to become a respected thespian (this is becoming a theme, isn't it?) he shows us levels of sadness, desperation, and rage we haven't seen from him in awhile. While his performance alone would be worthy of putting Birdman on anybody's list, one can't overlook the flawless cinematic contribution of DP Emmanuelle Lubezki who literally doesn't give us a moment to blink; his camera always moving. The supporting ensemble is equally great with Emma Stone and Edward Norton, the latter playing a manic, heightened version of himself. But what's most startling to me is the total change of gears this was for Inarritu. There is almost no connecting tissue between Birdman and the multi-tiered, heavy moral dramas of his past. It leaves me fascinated by what he'll attempt next.

6. X-men: Days of Future Past (review here)
You pretty much have me with anything involving the heroic, flawed, histrionic mutants in the X-men. I've been reading the comic for basically my entire life and have loved just about every movie (that wasn't an insult like X-men: The Last Stand), but X-men: Days of Future Past is the first one that gets everything right. With so much that could potentially go wrong with the massive cast and three time periods to juggle, Bryan Singer showed a skillful hand in giving every character their moment to shine and every era a unique flavor. The central "love" triangle between Professor X (James McAvoy), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) has all the soap opera elements fans of the comic will love, while the endless array of super powers flung around the screen is impressive.

5. Mommy (review here)

Oh hey, screw you, Academy voters. You may not want to put Xavier Dolan's hyperactive, gloriously unpredictable drama Mommy in the Oscar race, but it damn sure deserved to be there. In truth I wasn't sure I would be able to tolerate breakout star Antoine Oliver Pilon's performance as Steve, a walking powder keg fresh out of jail and into the life of his ill-prepared mother, Diane, played by Anne Dorval.  But this is a film that defies expectations on a character and technical level, with emotions that literally stretch beyond the boundaries of the screen. While Dolan's toying with the aspect ratio may come off as a cheap ploy it proves a crucial element, and paired with an impeccable soundtrack ("Wonderwall" has never been used better. Ever.) Mommy is a huge leap forward for the young filmmaker. As Diane and Steve settle into a messy but rewarding friendship with a mousy neighbor (Suzanne Clement), the mother/son bond bends but never breaks. Considering the mommy issues Dolan has sought to highlight in his previous films, it's refreshing to see him explore it from a more positive angle and in such an exhilarating way.

4. A Most Violent Year
I don't know how he does it, but JC Chandor has now made three movies that look like they come from three different filmmakers. Margin Call is as different from All is Lost which is a country mile from A Most Violent Year, one of the best crime dramas in recent memory. For me, there's The Godfather and nothing else need apply for the crown, but A Most Violent Year is the first film to make me reconsider. Set in 1981 during the most violent year in New York City history, the story follows a level-headed heating oil magnate played by Oscar Isaac. When outside forces begin to violently put a crimp in his business, he begins to find it hard to stay on an even keel, and it doesn't help that his wife (Jessica Chastain) seems to be pushing him to take aggressive action. As an exploration of the American Dream and the nasty, corrupt things one must do to attain it, A Most Violent Year is without peer. And it doesn't hurt that it features crisp, cold cinematography by Bradford Young, who will be mentioned again later on this list.

3. The Raid 2 (review here)
All year I've been telling people that Gareth Evans' jaw-jacking sequel The Raid 2: Berendal would end up in my top 3. Nobody believed me. Why is that so crazy? Is there a better action director anywhere than Evans right now? How can he keep finding news to thrill us? How does he keep finding unique angle to show star Iko Uwais bashing some guy's brains in? No other scene had my heart racing faster than the fight with Baseball Bat Guy and Hammer Girl, an intense cramped quarters rumble of impeccable stunt choreography. While some may balk at the 2 1/2 hour run time or the expanded gangster storyline, for me it only added to the franchise's charm. While The Raid was like one long video game, The Raid 2 has a different energy yet still gives us the hardcore brutality we love. How Evans can possibly top this is beyond me but I can't wait to see him try.

2. Frank (review here)

Frank, you had me at "Michael Fassbender under a giant papier-mache head". It's that kind of boldness, that willingness to embrace something so weird that makes Lenny Abrambson's exploration of creative genius and insanity so lovable. Domhnall Gleeson plays a hopeless musician who falls in with a quirky band of weirdos led by the titular masked singer, who may or may not be a complete lunatic. While he latches on to their creative energy without bringing much of his own, he also tries to push them into the mainstream, which doesn't go over so well with the band. From the searing soundtrack (performed live by the cast) to the off-kilter tone, Frank celebrates individuality in all its forms while quietly lamenting those who crave conformity.

1. Selma 
I worried about Selma from the moment it was announced. How could I not with Lee Daniels (briefly) at the helm? He had already squandered a wealth of talent and an amazing story with The Butler, and would probably do it again here. Thank goodness for Ava DuVernay. It's incredible that Selma is only her third film because she has the skill of a seasoned veteran, boiling down a few months in Martin Luther King's campaign for voting rights into a profound statement on the power of people to affect change. Refusing to conform to standard biopic pitfalls, Selma lets us in on the ground floor of King's movement, putting us in touch with the immediacy of his cause. Depicted with warmth and commanding presence by David Oyelowo, King is honored but never idolized; the cracks in his armor seen in tense struggles with his wife Coretta, President Lyndon Johnson, and his own supporters. But through all the human frailties arose a powerful leader. And chalk up another win for cinematographer Bradford Young, whose vivid imagery captures the urgency of the time. With so much going on in this country right now in terms of race relations, the importance of an inspiring, relevant, and yes extremely crowd-pleasing film like Selma can't be overstated.

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Jessica Chastain Demands Respect from David Oyelowo in Clip from 'A Most Violent Year'

If there's one film that has all of the ingredients to be a powerhouse this season it's A Most Violent Year. Directed by JC Chandor (All is Lost, Margin Call), with a cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Oscar Isaac, and David Oyelowo, no film comes with quite the same level of pedigree behind it. The trailers we've seen so far have been blazing hot fire, and now the first clip has arrived that turns the heat it up even more.

Set in 1981 New York, the most violent year in the city's record, the story follows immigrant businessman Abel (Isaac) and his wife Anna (Chastain), as they try to expand their business while surrounded by corruption. In this scene we see Anna, who happens to be the daughter of a mob boss, making a not-so-subtle demand of respect from Oyelowo's character. In less than a minute we've got the lay of the land completely, and it's clear Anna is not someone to be trifled with.

A Most Violent Year gets an Oscar qualifying run on December 31 before expanding in January.

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New Trailer and Poster for 'A Most Violent Year' starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain

There are only a handful of directors that we look upon their every release as an event. J.C. Chandor has quickly achieved that status after only three movies: Margin Call, All is Lost, and his latest, A Most Violent Year, a 1980s-set drama starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. A new full-length trailer for the film has been released, backed by the smooth sounds of Marvin Gaye, and it looks like another beautiful, bold effort from Chandor. Isaac and Chastain star as an immigrant couple trying to run an honest business while surrounded by corrupt forces during the most violent year in New York City history.

Also starring Albert Brooks, David Oyelowo, and Alessandro Nivola, A Most Violent Year opens December 31st.


A Most Violent Year TRAILER 1 (2014) - Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain Crime Drama HD by MovieTrailerz

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First Trailer for J.C. Chandor's 'A Most Violent Year' starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain

It hasn't taken J.C. Chandor long to establish himself as a consistent presence in the Academy Awards field. His first film Margin Call earned him a screenwriting nomination, while his follow-up All is Lost deserved more than the measly Sound Editing nomination it got. Judging by the incredible trailer for his third film, A Most Violent Year, Chandor may again be earning accolades.

Starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, no stranger to the Oscars themselves, the story takes place in 1981, one of the most violent years in New York City history, and follows an immigrant couple as they try to expand their business in that environment. It looks like the kind of film built for honors, both on the directing and acting side, plus the cinematography by Bradford Young (Mother of George, Ain't Them Bodies Saints) is simply gorgeous.

Also starring Albert Brooks, Ashley Williams, Alessandro Nivola, David Oyelowo, and Catalina Sandino Moreno, A Most Violent Year opens in limited release on December 31st, expanding in 2015.

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First Looks at Jessica Chastain in 'Miss Julie' and 'A Most Violent Year'

Last year was something of a rest period for Jessica Chastain, with only the horror film Mama hitting theaters. But that's all about to change in 2014 as Christopher Nolan's Interstellar arrives, plus the twin-bill romance The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. And that doesn't count filming on Guillermo Del Toro's Crimson Peak. But she's also got two more movies on the way in Liv Ullman's Miss Julie and A Most Violent Year from All is Lost director, J.C. Chandor, and we've now got first looks at both of them.

First up is Miss Julie, Ullmann's adaptation of August Strindberg's 19th century play about the flirtatious affair between the aristocratic Julie and her ambitious valet, with issues of power and class driving their love/hate relationship. Chastain gets to spend some steamy time with Colin Farrell, while Samantha Morton co-stars as Farrell's fiance. There's no release date yet but maybe we'll catch Miss Julie on the art house scene.

After hitting it big with Margin Call and All is Lost, J.C. Chandor isn't letting the grass grow under his feet. He's already hard at work on A Most Violent Year, a thriller starring Chastain, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks, David Oyelowo, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Alfred Molina. Set in 1981, one of the most violent years in New York City history, the film follows an immigrant family trying to expand their business in the face of rampant violence and corruption that threatens to destroy them. Bradford Young, cinematographer on Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Pariah, also filmed this so we know the blonde Chastain will look more gorgeous than usual. Expect A Most Violent Year to arrive this fall.

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Matthias Schoenaerts Leads 'Galveston'; David Oyelowo and Catalina Moreno Join 'A Most Violent Year'

* It's a double-dose of good news for True Detective writer, Nic Pizzolatto. Not only has he signed a two-year deal with HBO and has begun work drafting a second season of his hit series, but his breakthrough novel Galveston is headed to the big screen with a powerful leading man. Deadline reports Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone) will star in the gritty drama to be directed by Janus Metz (Armadillo), centering on Roy Cady, who is diagnosed with a terminal illness on the same day he senses that his boss wants him dead. Walking into a death trap, Roy gets the better of his would-be killers, and takes two sisters he finds hiding in the apartment and makes a run for Galveston.

* Fresh off adding Albert Brooks to the excellent cast of A Most Violent Year, J.C. Chandor is making it even better with Catalina Sandino Moreno and David Oyelowo. The two will join stars Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, and Alfred Molina in the 1981 New York thriller about the owners of a heating oil business whose growth ambitions put them at odds with the criminal element. Filming begins tomorrow which might explain the sudden casting surge.

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Albert Brooks Joins 'A Most Violent Year', Emily Mortimer in 'Ten Thousand Saints', Analeigh Tipton Does 'Mississippi Grind'

* And the cast of J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year keeps getting better. Already with Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, and Alfred Molina on board, the latest to join them is comedy legend, Albert Brooks. But don't expect this one to be a laugher by any means as Brooks is probably going to be in full Drive mode here. The story takes place in 1981 New York, one of the most violent years on record for the city, and follows a family whose ambition to grow their heating oil business runs them afoul of the criminal element. Brooks will play the attorney for Isaacs' character. [Deadline]

* Writing/directing duo Bob Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman swung and missed badly with last year's Girl Most Likely, but they're hoping to bounce back with Ten Thousand Saints, an adaptation of Eleanor Henderson's novel set in 1980s New York on the Lower East Side. Joining the already-cast Ethan Hawke, Emile Hirsch, Hailee Steinfeld, and Asa Butterfield are Emily Mortimer (The Newsroom) and the underrated Julianne Nicholson (August: Osage County). The story is described as “a coming-of-age story that follows three screwed-up young people and their equally screwed-up parents in the age of CBGB, yuppies and the tinderbox of gentrification that exploded into the Tompkins Square Riots.” [THR]

* Crazy Stupid Love star Analeigh Tipton will do the Mississippi Grind for Half Nelson directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. The gambling drama stars Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn, Alfre Woodard, and Sienna Miller, centering on a drifter and hard-luck poker player making their way through the South with a plan to win back everything they've lost. So far Fleck and Boden have yet to slip up behind the camera, also directing Sugar and It's Kind of a Funny Story, so expectations are understandably high for this one.

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J.C. Chandor Tackles Vince Lombardi Biopic; Lines up Oscar Isaac for 'A Most Violent Year'

Through his first two features, Margin Call and All is Lost, J.C. Chandor has stayed in the thick of the Oscars chatter, and it's looking like his upcoming features will garner just as much attention. There are some major changes at the top of his third movie, A Most Violent Year, and now Chandor has lined up his fourth project, a biopic based on a pro football legend.

First up is A Most Violent Year, which had Javier Bardem and Jessica Chastain leading the film set in 1981, one of the most violent on record. Some months ago Bardem dropped out over creative differences with Chandor, but now he's made a lateral move by bringing on Oscar Isaac, who is currently riding a wave of awards buzz for Inside Llewyn Davis. Isaac will play "the ambitious owner of an oil company who must protect his business and his family from his competitors as they violently try to run him out of business. The film finds him and his wife crossing paths with high-powered lawyers, wealthy bankers, dangerous teamsters and a shady district attorney." Chandor's Margin Call co-star Stanley Tucci is also being courted for a role.

After scoring on the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, Legendary Pictures is turning their attention to the gridiron. They're planning a film on NFL Hall of Fame head coach Vince Lombardi, with Chandor hired to pen the screenplay and possibly direct. Lombardi's name adorns the Super Bowl trophy, so that should tell you just how important he was to the sport, far more than just leading the Green Bay Packers to five world championships.

The Lombardi estate is lending their full support behind the project, which hopefully means we'll get a full look at the man on and off the field. He was one of the first NFL coaches to ignore the color barriers and had a zero tolerance policy towards racism amongst his players. After starting out as an offensive coordinator with the New York Giants in 1954, he took the Packers head coaching job in 1959 when the franchise squad was at its absolute worst. Over the course of his coaching career Lombardi never had a losing season.

Now there's the unenviable job of finding an actor to play Lombardi. Perhaps Robert De Niro? Or maybe Chandor can reteam with Robert Redford? [THR/TheWrap/Deadline]

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Jessica Chastain Joins Javier Bardem for 'A Most Violent Year'

Plot details remain totally non-existent on A Most Violent Year, the follow-up by Margin Call and All Is Lost director J.C. Chandor. But when the first two leads are Javier Bardem and now Jessica Chastain, does it really matter?
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Variety reports that the Oscar nominated actress has joined the provocatively-titled film, which Chandor wrote and will be at the helm for. The only real info we have is that Bardem will be a good guy, so does that mean Chastain will be a bad girl? A Chandor fan Tumblr says the story involves an "ambitious businessman who is forced to deal with a corrupt establishment in 1980s New York".We'll see if that holds up.

Filming is set to begin this fall.

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Javier Bardem Lines Up 'The Gunman' and 'A Most Violent Year'

Whether he's a hero (rare, but it happens) or a villain, Javier Bardem is one of the most compelling actors around, which is why he's been a very busy guy of late. He was just seen in Terrence Malick's To the Wonder, or not seen if you nearly dozed off like I did. He also filmed Ridley Scott's The Counselor, and of course there was that whole Skyfall thing which made a little bit of money somewhere.  After all of that, Bardem isn't slowing down, adding two more projects to his calendar.

First up, Bardem will join Sean Penn in The Gunman, an adaptation of Jean-Patrick Manchette's novel, The Prone Gunman. The script by Peter Travis (Dredd) has Penn as hired killer Martin Terrier, who wants to leave the business and marry his sweetheart, but his old bosses won't let him go, forcing him to go on the run where he is confronted by Bardem. Pierre Morel (Taken) is behind the camera for that one, so the results are a little tough to predict.

This fall Bardem will star in A Most Violent Year, the next film from Margin Call director, J.C. Chandor. There are absolutely no details on what it could entail, but Bardem will apparently be the "good guy". The film was announced at Cannes, where Chandor and Robert Redford's All is Lost was the surprise hit of the festival. [Deadline]

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