A Most Violent Year (2014)

A Most Violent Year is a tense, morally complex crime drama set in the bitter winter of New York City, 1981 — statistically one of the city’s most dangerous years. You follow Abel Morales, an ambitious immigrant who has built a legitimate heating-oil business and is poised to make a career-defining real estate deal that would make him the largest distributor in the city. But as he tries to expand, a wave of violence, corruption and intimidation — hijacked trucks, beaten employees, veiled threats and a politically charged DA’s investigation into industry-wide wrongdoing — threatens everything he’s worked for. Abel’s principled restraint clashes with his wife Anna’s harder-edged instincts and with the desperation of those around him, forcing him to choose between protecting his family and compromising his values. Watching the film, you’ll experience a cold, slow-burn atmosphere: tightly wound suspense rather than explosive action, a pervasive sense of urban decay, and mounting moral tension as business, law and survival collide. The story operates as both a crime thriller and a character study, delivering quiet but powerful confrontations, ethical ambiguity, and a simmering emotional intensity that keeps you engaged long after the credits.

Actors: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo

Director: J.C. Chandor

Runtime: 125 min

Genres: Action, Crime, Drama

6.6 /10 79 /100 6.9 /10 7.1 /10