A MOST VIOLENT YEAR ***
Throughout his career, young writer/director J.C. Chandor has been focused on the study of male characters, dealing with a sense of abandonment: financial, personal and emotional. In his first feature, “Margin Call”, for which he gained an Oscar nomination for its screenplay, he observed the desperate crew of an investment bank facing the first hours of the 2008’s economic crisis; next he cast Robert Redford, looking for answers, while sailing the dangerous ocean alone. Now, Chandor changes the atmosphere of his previous films, for a more striking aesthetic, conceiving a story where violence becomes the main subject. Instead of people fighting over money, or a lonesome fighting himself, Chandor creates a gripping study on people fighting, stealing or killing each other. Yet, his main characteristic remains as his object of study: a man confronted by consequences.
Oscar Isaac gives a tremendous performance as Abel Morales, an immigrant who’s been successful with his oil company business. But since its opening, as we learn the story is set in 1981 New York City (considered the city’s most violent year on record), he’s wandering around carrying a burden expression of a lost dog, who won’t sit down and wait to be rescued, but will fight hard for his own business and family. Although he’s surrounded by family, friends, employees, lawyers, detectives and associates, he’s desperately alone, until his wife jumps in to support the mutual cause. Chandor gives Isaac a great opportunity to practice all his talent with this complex, mysteriously calm and determined character. As he just moves in to a bigger house, the world seems to collapse: he’s been threatened by burglars, while his oil trucks have been robbed; authorities are on top of him investigating the company’s obstruction of Federal Laws; on a short notice he learns he could lose all his property and the empire he built over the years, while trying to protect his family and keep his wife out of the troubles. And that’s obviously impossible as she walks into his office carrying a gun, demanding his efforts to solve the matter, otherwise she will. Jessica Chastain embodies this magnetic figure of a devoted wife, with incredible elegance and unexpected strength: she’s ready to do any job, clean or dirty. Although they are both great performances, and should be honored for their work, the film opened too late (on the last day of 2014), and shouldn’t be eligible for the Award Season- unless the marketing and box-office numbers say differently. With chilling camera angles of the cold streets, reflected on the players’ reactions, the film is a well-done thriller, suspenseful and intriguing, demonstrating the talent of a promising filmmaker.
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