What seems to be a modern interpretation of mafia-crime movies, “A Most Violent Year” enters the scene away from its proposed goal of depicting the year 1981 as a crime-filled drama, but stumbles into an interesting take on what it means to achieve the typical American dream. Directed and written by J.C. Chandor, the movie opens to New York City in the dead of winter. Colors stand in mute tones, from the overcast skyline looming in the distance to the main characters’ pale wardrobe consisting of neat suits and sleek dresses — all constructing a neat image that seems eerie with destructive tendencies. And this implied destruction delivers.
The viewer witnesses a married couple’s joint attempt to raise an economical empire within a corrupt capitalist system. But they differ in their methods. Oscar Isaac evokes the audience to sympathize with his character, Abel, as he smartly acts as an efficient businessman who works his way up the corporate ladder via hard work and natural intelligence. Though he involves himself with shadier practices, like cooking the books, his character progresses into said actions as he attempts to find his balance between what is correct or corrupt in capitalism. Though his economical efforts become corrupt, Abel makes the conscious effort to not have his employees commit violence, such as when he refuses to let them carry firearms. While Abel tries to maintain an ideal pursuit of his American dream, his wife, Anna (Jessica Chastain), understands all too well such an ideal cannot be maintained.
In a rather Lady MacBeth fashion, Anna deals with the more violent side of business. Daughter of a mafia kingpin, Anna utilizes her resources to keep her husband’s business and family from falling apart. With her short, sharp blond hair never frazzled and her voice consistently calm with hell-hath-no fury authority, Chastain plays Anna as a strong character who does not come off as too “strong.” A frequent problem in representing strong women in media is often that the characters are either independent lone wolves (possibly stating, “I don’t need no man!) incapable of faults, or trying to be strong, but end up failing at every turn. Anna comes off as a female character capable of holding her own, yet is also inherently inspired by her husband’s goals — she just has another way of accomplishing them. When her husband’s workers are repeatedly physically beaten by rival companies, it is Anna who decides to call in favors with mafia members — not Abel — which saves their business empire momentarily. While Abel maintains the idealism of his business, Anna keeps it physically running.
“A Most Violent Year” is not meant to focus on one character, as many famous mafia-crime movies do. The film is meant to focus on the dynamic between two close characters enduring both the lies of the American dream and the corrupted core of capitalism. While the film ends on a note that can be either interpreted as typical or odd, the character development between Anna and Abel left a satisfying impression on me. There are times, such as when Anna interacted with the persistent investigator, Lawrence (David Oyelowo), when their interactions with other characters are bland, since it is clear these other characters were just support to further the narrative, but the Morales kept me interested.
I have no constructive criticism to give regarding whether “A Most Violent Year” is a true successor for the films of Brian De Palma or Francis Ford Coppola, since I have never watched their movies, though Chandor’s new movie has left me with the inspiration to watch “Scarface” or “The Godfather.” If anything, “A Most Violent Year” may be a soft introduction into the mafia-crime movie genre for anyone who is curious and willing.
Rating: 3.5 stars
