What’s not to love about “A Most Violent Year”? It’s an ‘80s-set moral crime drama that stars Oscar Isaac — who’s seemingly on his way to becoming a household name with roles in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “X-Men: Apocalypse” — Jessica Chastain and David Oyelowo, arguably the three greatest actors of their generation, who all seem poised for A-list greatness. Then there’s director J.C. Chandor: he arrived immediately with his economic crisis drama “Margin Call” and then seriously upped the ante with the left turn of “All Is Lost,” an existentialist action drama on the high seas that was Robert Redford’s best performance in eons.
So what’s "A Most Violent Year" about? Here’s part of the synopsis that describes yet another new bold direction for the filmmaker, an interesting take on the American Dream, compromise, and the cost of doing business in an ethical fashion: Chandor’s third feature examines one immigrant’s (Isaac) determined climb up a morally crooked ladder, where simmering rivalries and unprovoked attacks threaten his business, family, and – above all – his own unwavering belief in the righteousness of his path. With “A Most Violent Year” Chandor journeys in a bold new direction, toward the place where best intentions yield to raw instinct, and where we are most vulnerable to compromise what we know to be right.
And before it lands in theaters, a new featurette from the movie has arrived. “It’s the Wild West in New York City at this moment,” Isaac says, describing the backdrop of the movie he stars in. “There’s a violence around and the general thought is when someone has a gun, you get a gun too to defend yourself.”
A new poster has arrived as well and it quotes The Playlist review from writer James Rocchi. “What good is the American dream if you can’t sleep at night because of the things you did to achieve it?,” he asked rhetorically in his A-grade review. Check out the new poster and feature clip below. “A Most Violent Year” opens on December 31st in limited release.
