JC Chandor has rapidly become synonymous with operatic dramas, populated with complex characters and driven by pulsing tensions. From the financial crisis drama Margin Call, to the suspenseful Robert Redford vehicle All Is Lost, Chandor never shies away from criticism of masculinity and posturing, and the danger it can inflict on individuals and society.
Never has this been more evident than in A Most Violent Year. Beautiful and gripping, it  has all the glamorous trappings of a classic gangster movie, but acts as a personal exploration of the American Dream through the eyes of a Latino businessman during 1981; New York’s most violent year. The ever-incredible Oscar Isaac (Inside Lleywn Davis, Ex Machina) plays Abel Morales, a righteous Latino immigrant struggling to maintain his sense of morality, as he tries to grow his heating oil business in the face of violent competitors.
Isaac is sublime as a man struggling not to be a criminal in a corrupted world, romanticising his situation and his self in order to maintain a facade of identity. The juxtaposition between his suited, slick-haired gangster appearance and his morality acts not only as a fascinating character study, but an intriguing insight into stereotypes of masculinity and race, and how immigrants’ energy, optimism and even their sense of heritage can be rapidly eroded by cut-throat capitalism. Also deserving of special mention is Jessica Chastain, who is compelling as Abel’s Lady Macbeth-style wife. Unfurling slowly, Chandor’s tale is packed with subtle homages to classic gangster films, while Bradford Young’s cinematography amps up the menace with light and shadow.
A shady, tense and intriguing film about what lurks in the darkness.