BLU-RAY REVIEW: A Most Violent Year

[JessHorsley]

Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain's Latest Thriller Hits Home Video...

Two of today's most impressive actors - Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, Ex Machina) and Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, The Help) - star in A Most Violent Year, a dramatic and dynamic look at shady business practices and life in a brutal 1981 New York City. Writer-director J.C. Chandor delivers the third knock out of his short career, which includes the 2011 critic's favorite Margin Call, a story of stock market malignance, and the 2013 drama All is Lost, featuring Robert Redford alone aboard a broken boat. Now, Chandor continues to prove he's one of Hollywood's rising stars; a brilliant writer-director in modern cinema able to both show and share thought-provoking stories with engaging characters.

In A Most Violent Year, viewers find themselves exploring the dangers of seeking and achieving the American Dream and the limits and ramifications of seeking and achieving that dream. Immigrant Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) seeks to grow his oil company despite the fact his dream - and that of his employees and their families - continues to be threatened by the greedy and corrupt who would squash his achievements. Those opposed to Morales' success first seek his money and then, his destruction and demise, as he continues to wrestle with what's required in order to accomplish his goals of success. Of course, somethings aren't quite as they seem as Morales' wife, Anna (Jessica Chastain), comes from a family with connections - some being violent and necessary. Soon, Anna begins to wonder if her husband is actually man enough to do what needs done...and if she won't have to take control. In A Most Violent Year, what begins as one man's simple search for success in business transforms into a struggle between not just right and wrong or corruption and innocence, but doing the right thing or the necessary thing.

The film features a talented cast, including the already mentioned Isaac and Chastain. Other standouts include Albert Brooks as Morales' lawyer, who's defending Morales' Standard Oil Company against Assistant District Attorney Lawrence (David Oyelowo), who's looking to expose Morales for price fixing, tax evasion and more. Elyes Gabel plays one of Morales' truck drivers who is violently beaten while on the job and Alessandro Nivola plays Peter Forente, a man with connections who Morales goes to for help and money.

The blu-ray's video and audio are both impressive. The picture here is a beautiful transfer from big screen to home video, accurately captured in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. It's hard to miss the use of color filters and specifically the amount of yellow - sickly yellow - throughout. This makes fine details somewhat indistinguishable. However, once one understand the use of this jaundice-like color scheme and the reasoning for it, it makes sense. Likewise, the film's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio delivers the film's prominent dialogue as well as the ambient sounds of an angry and viscious NYC.

As for special features, the blu-ray includes an feature length audio commentary with writer-Director J.C. Chandor and film producers Neal Dodson and Anna Gerb. The commentary varies throughout and focuses on everything from technical details to working with the cast and script. A 44-minute two-part featurette, "Behind the Violence," explores the film in more depth, providing details on the film's plot, historical context, and production. Three short featurettes (4-minute each) include conversations with film stars Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac; these include "The Early Years," "A Shared Foundation" and "Mastering the Craft." A short PSA - "We Can Cure Violence" - speaks out on the need to end violence while the 3-minute "The Contagious Nature of Violence: The Origins of A Most Violent Year" is a short, but engaging chat between writer/director Chandor and Gary Slutkin. Other special features include nearly 8-minutes worth of deleted scenes and the film's theatrical and teaser trailers.

Overall, A Most Violent Year confirms Chandor as a writer/director to watch; bringing to life brilliant stories with interesting and exciting character, dynamic action and drama and through-provoking morality questions, all set in essential locales. With a talented cast and excellent script, A Most Violent Year delivers a pulse-pounding exploration of one man's trek through one of the most violent years in one of the most violent cities in American history, doing what needs done in "the most right thing" he can do.

A Most Violent Year is available now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD wherever fine home video is sold.

- Jess C. Horsley

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