Last week I did hotel-room quickies with A Most Violent Year director-writer J.C. Chandor and star Oscar Isaac. Chandor explained that the title doesn’t refer to a general New York City impression that 1981 was a very violent year across the board (although it was). It means that it was a most violent year in the view of lead characters Abel and Anna Morales (Isaac, Jessica Chastain), a married couple trying to protect a heating oil business from truck thieves while securing a loan for an advantageous property purchase. But even the film’s Wiki page doesn’t quite get it. It calls it “a crime thriller” when it’s really a crime drama. It’s punctuated with action, threats, tension and uncertainty, but I wouldn’t call it a “thriller.” A Most Violent Year may not make you want to hug your children, but there are other significant criteria in determining a film’s final worth. It’s easily among the year’s ten best. Again, the Chandor and Isaac mp3s.
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