In the story of Abel Morales, a clean-playing immigrant who came to own Standard Oil, the American Dream is shortchanged by the looming realities of competition, wealth and fraud. “A Most Violent Year” is a thrilling commentary on Morales’ botched dream in 1981 New York City, possibly the most violent year in the city’s history.
Morales, played with strength and an overwhelming Al Pacino/Michael Corleone vibe by Oscar Isaac (“The Two Faces of January”), doesn’t belong in the big oil business. Despite being intelligent, intimidating and powerful, his desire for honesty, clean work and moral housekeeping stop him from getting his hands dirty.
Morales purchases new property in the opening scenes of the movie, a property that will give him reign over the Hudson with far greater storage capacity and easy power over his competitors. Simultaneously, the audience is made aware that Standard Oil trucks are being robbed mid-transit, the oil stolen and redistributed to competitors.
With the liability at hand, banks pull out and Morales is left incapable to pay for this new property. It seems like a relatively banal plot to center a film on, which can be problematic because the empty space isn’t adequately filled by character development.
The relationship between Abel and his wife Anna is mysterious and difficult to pinpoint, yet it’s the most crucial to the film. As a result, “A Most Violent Year” toes the line between irrelevant and fantastic, never quite pushing itself over the edge into greatness.
Jessica Chastain (“Interstellar”), who plays Anna Morales, could not do wrong in my eyes. With sharp features and a commanding voice, she plays the strong female character to our mafia-like protagonist as an accomplice more than a loyal spouse. At times she proves the stronger partner, illegally purchasing a gun when her family is in danger and clearly having no fear of using it. Due to the style of the film — dark and ominous with heavy overcoats, clicking oxford shoes and businessmen sitting at large mahogany tables — it clearly imitates “The Godfather,” 10 years earlier on the timeline.
That being said, Anna is nothing like Diane Keaton’s submissive and scared wife in “The Godfather,” who cowered under the authority and heavy glare of a powerful man. Anna gets angry, knows business and puts her foot down when necessary. Yet the chemistry between Abel and Anna falls just short of authentic. Independently, however, they shine.
Isaac and Chastain’s is far from the only interesting dynamic of the film. Julian (Elyes Gabel, “Interstellar”), one of Morales’ drivers, is often our focal point of attention. After being beaten out of a Standard Oil delivery truck in the opening scenes of the film, he is nervous to reenter the volatile territory. Morales denies him upward mobility — for good (enough) reason — so he returns to his job in fear of another incident. Sure enough the moment traffic runs to a standstill his truck becomes a sore thumb, a magnet for violence. A stupid, heat-of-the-moment decision sends Julian under quick fire, leaving him at the mercy of a long and arduous police chase.
Julian is our measurement of the American Dream gone wrong. An immigrant like Abel, we can only wonder what made Abel an ideal candidate for great success and wealth and Julian a runt, a nobody caught in the crossfires for a company that does nothing for him and hardly even cares about his safety. How audiences address and think about Julian in the film can completely transform “A Most Violent Year” from an artistic thriller to a memorable and thought-provoking political commentary.
The cast also includes Albert Brooks (“Drive”), who plays Morales’ lawyer, and David Oyelowo (“Selma”), an assistant district attorney bringing a case against the Morales for a variety of different illegal financial issues that are apparently just a by-product of running an oil company.
Through these probing themes and accomplished cast, director and writer J.C. Chandor (“All Is Lost”) has taken a film of trivial Hollywood wonders — suspenseful chases, men in suave tuxedos, beautiful wives and giant homes — and made it something eerie, captivating and cool.
With intriguing artistic direction and a constant undertone of mafia-style moral turpitude, “A Most Violent Year” has the potential to be a truly intelligent film. It’s enjoyable and well worth the watch, but it falls just short of novel.
