--- title: "A Most Violent Year" year: 2014 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-most-violent-year" fi1m_score: 77 critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 26 published: "2026-09-17T12:33:11.209097+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T12:33:11.496329+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # A Most Violent Year (2014) Directed by J.C. Chandor · 2h 05m · MPA R · Crime, Drama, Thriller **Fi1m score: 77** · Critics 75 from 26 reviews *In a sentence:* Two hours of a man in a camel coat declining to shoot anyone, and it is tenser than it sounds > J.C. Chandor’s 1981 New York crime story keeps the gun in the drawer for nearly all of its 125 minutes, and Oscar Isaac makes the restraint riveting. It is handsome, patient and a little airless, and Jessica Chastain deserved more of it. ## Synopsis New York, the winter of 1981. Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), an immigrant businessman, sells heating oil across the city and wants to buy a terminal on the river. His trucks are being hijacked on the road, his drivers are frightened, and the district attorney, Lawrence (David Oyelowo), is investigating his company. His wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) wants him to arm the drivers and hit back. His lawyer, Andrew Walsh (Albert Brooks), counsels patience. Abel means to close the deal, keep his trucks moving and stay on the right side of the law, and he means to do it without picking up a gun. ## Review J.C. Chandor’s first two films were a night in a bank ([*Margin Call*](https://film.one/film/margin-call)) and a man alone on a boat (*All Is Lost*). His third is a crime film set in New York in the winter of 1981, and its title is a piece of misdirection. Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) sells heating oil and wants to buy a terminal on the river, and for 125 minutes the film watches him refuse to do the thing every other crime film would have him do by the end of the first reel. It is good, patient and handsomely made, and it is worth your evening if you have the temperament for a thriller in which the hero’s chief weapon is a firm handshake. Isaac is the reason it works. He plays Abel as a man who has trained himself into stillness: he stands straight, speaks low and holds a stare a beat longer than is polite, and he teaches his sales staff to do the same in a scene we could have watched for another ten minutes. Kasia Walicka Maimone puts him in a camel coat that stays clean through hijackings, snow and a scramble along a railway line, and the coat does a good deal of the acting. Abel believes that if he looks like a legitimate man for long enough he will become one. Isaac lets us see how much work it takes to look that calm. Bradford Young shoots the city in a light that looks as if it has been left in a drawer: yellow-grey, low sun, snow gone brown at the edges. The oil yards, the empty riverside lots and the bare rooms John P. Goldsmith gives the Moraleses, all long sightlines and hardly any furniture, make a New York that feels bankrupt and cold and true. Alex Ebert’s score is a low electronic hum that rarely resolves into a tune, and it keeps the film on edge even when nobody on screen is saying anything dangerous. Ron Patane cuts the meetings and the money talk at an even pace, which is the right choice, though it means there are stretches where we are watching men in offices decide not to decide. Then the trucks get hit. The one real set piece, a chase that starts on the road and ends on foot, had us sitting forward and kept us there, and it did it without music and without a shot fired by our man. Patane holds the images long enough that we always know where Abel is and how far away the other man is, and Chandor lets the ordinary noise of the city do the work. We were more frightened for a man carrying no gun than we have been for a good many carrying two. What does not work is Anna. Jessica Chastain plays Abel’s wife, Anna, with red nails, a fur and a Brooklyn vowel, and she is sharp and funny in every scene she gets. But Chandor has written her as one thing, the wife who wants her husband to be harder than he is, and he leaves her there until a late turn we will not describe. That turn is neat and we did not believe a word of it. David Oyelowo’s district attorney, Lawrence, has the same problem in smaller form: he is an obstacle with a briefcase, and Oyelowo has to supply the man himself. Albert Brooks, as the lawyer Andrew Walsh, gets more from a bad hairpiece and a weary shrug than the script gave him. The film Chandor is measuring himself against is plainly Sidney Lumet’s, the New York of *Prince of the City*, where the corruption is municipal and everyone knows the going rate. He gets the city right, and the question the film asks is a real one: whether it is possible to do business there without doing what everybody else does. But Lumet’s people talked because they were frightened, and Chandor’s talk because the film needs them to explain the deal again. We were absorbed for most of it and slightly worn by the end, and 125 minutes is about a quarter of an hour more than the story has in it. Most critics have been warm, a few have called it a slog, and the truth is in between. See it if you like your crime films quiet and your heroes buttoned to the neck, and see it on a cold night with the heating up, so you can appreciate what Abel is selling. *Fi1m score 77, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics come away impressed. Twenty-one of the twenty-six reviews are positive, and the praise gathers around Oscar Isaac, whose quiet, controlled performance as a businessman trying to stay clean is singled out more than anything else, with Jessica Chastain’s fiercer turn close behind. J.C. Chandor’s direction draws comparisons to Sidney Lumet’s New York dramas, and several reviews admire Bradford Young’s photography of a decaying 1981 city. The general view is of a patient, grown-up thriller built on moral choices rather than gunfire. That patience is also where the reservations sit. The doubters find it slow, talky and solemn, and note that the violence the title promises mostly stays off screen; several call the ending an anticlimax, and Variety thinks the late twist unnecessary. Chastain’s character is faulted as thinly drawn or, in Paste’s view, close to caricature. The spread is wider than the average suggests: Collider dismisses it as a repetitive slog about business meetings, though it is a lonely voice. ### Reviews we read (26) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (90/100, inferred): Chandor delivers again with a compelling tale of dog-eat-dog capitalism in 1980s New York. Oscar Isaac gives a superb, breakthrough performance as a businessman trying to stay clean in a dirty world. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/a-violent-year-afi-fest-747279/) - **Slant Magazine**, Christopher Gray (3.5/4): Chandor prioritizes issues of individual agency in a parable about capitalism’s moral corruption, with Isaac delivering a cold, compelling performance. The film asserts that action requires corruption and builds suspense around ethical decision-making. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-most-violent-year/) - **Film Comment**, Jonathan Romney (85/100, inferred): Chandor has delivered a tough, mature, substantial piece of old-fashioned storytelling and a proper nail-biter set in a harsh, battle-scarred 1981 New York. The film stands out for its impressive, substantial quality and the way it explores the collision of crime, business, politics, and home life. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/film-of-the-week-a-most-violent-year/) - **Financial Times**, Nigel Andrews (85/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a smartly scarifying drama-thriller masterfully done, with characters bled of self-assurance. It is commended for its nuanced acting by Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain and its ballet-of-doom style, set against a bewitching Manhattan backdrop. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/d3498c38-a227-11e4-aba2-00144feab7de) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (85/100, inferred): The critic hails it as a gripping throwback to character-driven New York melodramas like those of Sidney Lumet, praising its crackling situations, taut dialogue, and the visual romance of a decrepit city in decay. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-most-violent-year-review-20141231-column.html) - **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (B+): Chandor turns in another solid film, bringing a gritty Lumet-style New York corruption tale to life with strong performances. The story effectively details how moral gray areas shade into darkness, though Anna's character is somewhat problematic. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/j-c-chandor-takes-another-left-turn-with-the-gritty-a-1798182296) - **Radio Times**, Jeremy Aspinall (4/5): This seductive slow-burner is a gripping drama of survival and ambition in 1981 New York, with magnetic performances from Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. The tense, subtly evocative Big Apple tale is praised for potentially positioning Chandor as a successor to Sidney Lumet. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-2cx1cm/a-most-violent-year/) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a severe and sinewy drama-thriller about an ambitious businessman trying to build a legitimate empire in 1981 New York. It is praised for its strong performances, especially by Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, and its blend of crime and city drama elements, though noted for a touch of sentimental melodrama at the end. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/22/a-most-violent-year-review-jessica-chastain) - **The New Yorker**, David Denby (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the film an anti-Godfather entrepreneurial fable, praising Chandor's sense of how a certain corner of the world works and Oscar Isaac's movie-star performance as the hard-charging immigrant businessman. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/12/dirty-oil) - **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (4/5): Chandor delivers an absorbing, no-bull New York period drama that shows bone-deep confidence and places him among uncompromising filmmakers. The dense, flavoursome municipal stew and believable cast are singled out for praise, despite a skeletal central relationship. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-most-violent-year) - **Variety** (75/100, inferred): The critic praises the tough, gritty, richly atmospheric thriller for its sustained low-boil tension, complex plot navigation, and confirmation of Chandor and Isaac as major talents, while noting a wholly unnecessary last-minute twist. [Read](https://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/film-review-a-most-violent-year-1201348496/) - **Empire**, Angie Errigo (70/100, inferred): The critic praises Chandor's smart, unpredictable direction and the film's moral complexity in a story of an immigrant businessman navigating crime and corruption in 1981 New York. Isaac and Chastain deliver standout performances as the ambitious couple facing ethical compromises. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/violent-year-3-review/) - **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (70/100, inferred): The review highlights the strong chemistry and rivalry between Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain as a husband-and-wife team in a tense crime drama set in 1980s New York. It notes impressive cinematography but criticizes the film for downplaying the brutality of its criminal world. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/a-most-violent-year-film-review-oscar-isaac-and-jessica-chastain-demonstrate-the-sexual-tension-and-rivalry-between-a-husband-and-wife-looking-to-make-it-big-9997495.html) - **IndieWire**, James Rocchi (70/100, inferred): A slow-burning and rewarding character study that examines moral compromise in business. Chandor crafts a tense drama centered on ethical dilemmas in a corrupt industry. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-slow-burning-and-rewarding-a-most-violent-year-starring-oscar-isaac-jessica-chastain-268828/) - **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): Chandor continues to make distinctive films, here offering a stylish, moody character study with weary gravity and captivating examination of its protagonist. Isaac's inner fire is praised, though the film is muddled when reaching for sweeping social commentary. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/a-most-violent-year/5079602.article) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic's Pick): The critic finds the film more brooding than brutal, praising its pulpy, meaty quality and Chandor's direction alongside Bradford Young's cinematography for capturing historical credibility and expressive power in a decaying New York City. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/31/movies/a-most-violent-year-with-oscar-isaac-and-jessica-chastain.html) - **Little White Lies**, Adam Woodward (4/3/3): The critic finds the premise of a pacifist gangster intriguing but the film strangely disaffecting and slightly unsatisfying overall. Oscar Isaac is praised for delivering as the lead in this period crime drama. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/a-most-violent-year) - **Vulture** (50/100, inferred): The film holds attention with its gravity and forces respect for its ambitions, but it is talky, repetitive, and overly solemn. It lacks the violence its title promises and feels overcomposed. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2014/12/movie-review-a-most-violent-year.html) - **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (A): The review highlights the film's slow-burn drama about compromises in the American Dream, commending the performances, cinematography, and subtle rewards for close attention. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-slow-burning-and-rewarding-a-most-violent-year-starring-oscar-isaac-jessica-chastain-20141229/) - **Eye for Film**, Anne-Katrin Titze (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it 2014's best film, praising Chandor's complex, dialogue-driven exploration of ambition, fear, and capitalism through precise scenes and objects in 1981 New York. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/a-most-violent-year-2014-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) - **The Wrap** (85/100, inferred): The critic hails J.C. Chandor as one of the most fascinating filmmakers working today after his third strong feature. The review praises the lead performances by Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain as well as the film's skillful blend of character drama and thrilling sequences. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/a-most-violent-year-review-jessica-chastain-oscar-isaac-chase-the-american-dream-by-hook-or-by-crook/) - **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (4/5): Chandor has made perhaps his most complete and satisfying film to date, a gritty urban thriller with crisp, economical direction, superb action setpieces, and an extraordinary lead performance from Isaac. Some characters feel underserved and the ending is low-key, but these are minor quibbles. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/a-most-violent-year-review/) - **The Skinny**, Chris Fyvie (★★★★): Chandor’s slow-burn mood piece body-swerves genre clichés with a quietly seething lead performance from Isaac and a fiery turn from Chastain, plus beautiful sepia-tinged cinematography and an unsettling score. It is vital, engaging cinema from a filmmaker now three for three. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/a-most-violent-year) - **Digital Spy**, Emma Dibdin (65/100, inferred): Chandor probes urgent ideas about gun control and proportional response in a brooding, meticulous crime drama that shrewdly upends genre expectations and features dynamite chemistry between Isaac and Chastain. It is let down by an over-reliance on not doing versus doing, resulting in anticlimax and a lack of final weight. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a623534/a-most-violent-year-review-oscar-isaac-in-brooding-crime-drama/) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (D): The critic calls the film a repetitive slog focused on business meetings and loan-seeking rather than violence or crime drama elements, wasting its talented cast and setting on familiar American Dream themes. [Read](https://collider.com/a-most-violent-year-review/) - **Paste**, Norm Schrager (6.9): Chandor's most flawed film to date is an ambitious but uneven period drama that aspires to classic status without full cohesion; Isaac delivers a magnetic lead performance while Chastain's character veers into caricature. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/a-most-violent-year) ## Details - **Director:** J.C. Chandor - **Director:** J.C. Chandor - **Writer:** J.C. Chandor - **Cinematography:** Bradford Young - **Editor:** Ron Patane - **Music:** Alex Ebert - **Production design:** John P. Goldsmith - **Costume design:** Kasia Walicka Maimone - **Producer:** J.C. Chandor, Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb - **Cast:** Oscar Isaac as Abel Morales; Jessica Chastain as Anna Morales; David Oyelowo as D.A. Lawrence; Alessandro Nivola as Peter Forente; Elyes Gabel as Julian; Albert Brooks as Andrew Walsh; Catalina Sandino Moreno as Luisa; Peter Gerety as Bill O'Leary - **Runtime:** 2h 05m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 30 January 2015 - **Genres:** Crime, Drama, Thriller - **Budget:** $20 million - **Box office:** $12 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZU7U3k3gHY ## Where to watch in the US - HBO Max: streaming, leaving 2026-10-01 - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Hulu: add-on, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Amazon Prime Video: rent $2.99, sd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, sd - Apple TV: buy $12.99, sd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, CA, CH, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IL, IT, JP, NL, NO, NZ, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Prince of the City* (1981): Lumet’s New York corruption epic, the film Chandor is plainly measuring himself against. - *The Yards* (2000): A Queens contracts drama in which family and graft turn out to be the same thing. - *The Long Good Friday* (1980), Fi1m 88: A London gangster tries to go legitimate over one weekend; it does not go well. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-long-good-friday.md) - *Margin Call* (2011), Fi1m 82: Chandor’s first film, one night in a bank, with the same taste for men in rooms. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/margin-call.md) - *A Prophet* (2009), Fi1m 86: A French prison drama about learning a trade, and learning what the trade costs. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-prophet.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. 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