[critical] (A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

New York City, 1981. Abel is a businessman immigrant who has a craving for american dream. He tries to make himself a place in the business of oil wanting to buy a refinery is ideally located. He encounters soon the hostile climate of the year the most violent the country has known, as well as an entourage who wants to hinder its success…

Noticed with his first feature film, the impressive cast, new variation of the cutthroat world of finance (Margin Call), J. C. Chandor was then balanced, with Robert Redford alone on a boat in the middle of an ocean, not always very welcoming in the survival All is Lost with a new enthusiasm critical and public acclaim. His third film, should therefore be that of the confirmation, which should silence most skeptics or critics who feared that the financial aspect takes precedence on the black film. Because, with a cast like this and the context in which lies the pitch, we were pretty excited.

Both say right away : those who expected a thriller and stylish thriller which sees the hero renounce his or her moral values to protect those he loves, as affected by this violence outside will probably be disappointed.

Elegant, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR is during the 2 hours of footage : the photograph yellowed plunges us into deliciously again in this age in the seventies and directed by J. C. Chandor proves to be quite remarkable with its frame accurate, and the use of discrete music which arises in the moments of dramatic tension. Panting, he gets during a few flashes and two sequences in particular of the chase of a very great master. We can only regret that this kind of scene is not more numerous, but it is mostly the overall tempo, which may put off some.

For all the others who know the man, they will not be surprised to learn that the interest is elsewhere. In addition to relying on an interpretation that is quite brilliant, and the film has a screenplay written with great intelligence who shuffles themes and raises questions quite virulent. The want of success of Abel leads to jealousy, so many obstacles to overcome. It is fun to see as this character is an anti-hero films, traditional black, with its moral values, very strong, and his stubbornness in wanting to punish success and with honesty without yielding to the facilities of the dark side of the environment that he wants to drill. Just the opposite of Tony Montana for example.

In this regard, the performance of Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) is impressive as it is inhabited by his character. Physically, he is wearing costumes and capes that he has no doubt stolen from the Robert de Niro from Casino or Goodfellas. We imagine sometimes willingly, when he comes out of the hairdresser, shrieks, his wife, or gives a lesson of morality to one of its employees.

His wife is Jessica Chastain (Interstellar) . It is said that they were both students of the same school of theatre, and had never had the opportunity to shoot together. It is now done and the pleasure that they take to give the reply is communicative. Once again, however, it is a pity that some of their face-to-face don’t go any further and especially are pretty rare, since it redemanderait willingly.

Of course, the violence will play a leading role in the development of the plot, but never really intrude into the private life of Abel. It is rather the office of a parasite, of inconvenience that you will need to work around with all the patience, the coldness and rigour of the main character.

”In the end, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR carries quite a bad title, because the interest is elsewhere.”

In the end, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR door pretty badly its title : we are voluntarily placed in withdrawal, as protected from the crime that is rampant in the city (just a few messages to a radio in a car, which remind us of the tension that there must be there) for better cogitate on the question : how does one become a business leader ? So how to get power, how to get it ? In seeking this status as a man of power, Abel will be tempted to take the easy way out…

You should know roughly what to expect before you go see A MOST VIOLENT YEAR , both J. C. Chandor seems to deconstruct the genre of film noir in order to better inject his own vision of a capitalist model that would be built in America. If the last scene can be very confusing, there was paradoxically the feeling of having attended a very good moment of cinema. And to the confirmation of a filmmaker.