Would you have guessed that the heating oil market in New York City was such a cutthroat business in 1981? J.C. Chandor is here to educate us on that with his latest film, A Most Violent Year.
One of the reasons competition between heating oil companies in New York was so ruthless is that 1981 happened to be a terrible time in that city. The homicide rate was three times what it is today. More robberies were reported that year than any other in New York history. Crack and heroin were major problems. It surely can’t be a coincidence that the city’s population dropped by nearly one million residents during that time.
That’s the period within which Chandor chooses to set his story. Perhaps it was a time during which the market among heating oil companies was most fierce. But most importantly, rivals could hijack each other’s trucks, sell stolen oil to the competition and assault salespeople while the authorities often looked the other way because they were occupied by so much other crime.
This is made clear during a scene in which Standard Oil owner Abel Morales (played by Oscar Isaac) is told by the district attorney (David Oyelowo) that his office basically has no time to look into who’s stealing Morales’ trucks and beating up his drivers because he has too many rapes and murders to prosecute. Of course, the DA also has time to build a case against Morales that includes tax evasion, price fixing and embezzlement among multiple felony charges, so his dismissals come across as just a bit disingenuous.
The charges come at a terrible time for Morales and his wife Anna (Jessica Chastain), as Standard Oil is in the process of trying to acquire an oil depot along the Hudson River that would provide a major advantage over its rivals. Access to barges would allow Morales to import oil directly from a wider range of sources, and with the facilities, he could store a huge amount of oil throughout the summer when market prices are lower. But if Morales and Standard Oil are under investigation from the DA’s office, the deal could fall through.
Is that the stuff from which a great crime movie can be made? Well, A Most Violent Year doesn’t include any drugs, murder, or the other grisly type of stuff typically associated with such stories. There is some breaking and entering and the aforementioned hijacking, along with some political intrigue. But the story doesn’t even include anything as juicy as blackmail or extortion.
The suspense of the story largely comes from whether or not Morales can raise the capital he needs to finance a loan to buy the oil depot. The bank originally intending to forward Morales the money backs off once word circulates that the DA plans to press charges against him. Where does Morales turn? Can he go to his competition and broker some sort of arrangement? Or are there shady, unethical means to acquire the necessary money, an avenue that Morales has always tried to avoid (or at least distance himself from)?
Adding to the conflict is Anna, who pushes her husband to do whatever is necessary to bury the competition and ensure his company succeeds. Morales bought Standard Oil from her father and plainly feels he’s not doing enough to take the business far beyond what her family accomplished. When trucks are being stolen, drivers attacked and their family is being threatened, Anna also feels that her husband is being far too passive (at one point, she actually calls him a “pussy”) and needs to retaliate.
The easy comparison to make is to equate Anna with Lady Macbeth. But in interviews, Chastain has said she views the character as more of a Dick Cheney type, someone who is the true power behind the scenes. While that might be seen as a greatly inflated self-opinion early on, developments do put Anna in the position of making a significant power play — one that shocks Morales and informs him that he and his company haven’t been as virtuous and squeaky-clean as he would like to believe.
Unfortunately, all of this doesn’t combine to make the most exciting, compelling movie in recent memory. I’d say it’s actually slow — and boring — in places. Though the truck hijackings (especially the one that basically ignites the story) provide some thrills and there is a dramatic foot chase in the second act that demonstrates Morales might be more a man of action than his wife thinks. (Or maybe he’s fueled by Anna’s constant hectoring.) But most of the important moments in this film come from backroom dealings or meetings in parking lots.
What truly saves A Most Violent Year is its cast. Chastain does her usual excellent work, best demonstrated in a scene with Oyelowo in which she tells him he’s making a big mistake going after her husband. She has to be both beautiful and intimidating, as well as a bit nurturing, and Chastain conveys all of those traits wonderfully.
Isaac is a commanding screen presence who seems on the verge of stardom. (Upcoming roles in the new Star Wars and X-Men movies will surely raise his profile.) A scene in which he’s coaching his new sales team on how to deal with customers is surprisingly compelling. And frankly, Isaac’s hair is fabulous — a testament to 1980s virility. I would be crushed if it turns out he was wearing a wig.
Chandor is proving to be one of the most interesting filmmakers working today. His three films are all quite different from one another. Personally, I think his first effort, Margin Call, is still his best, largely because its Wall Street setting and impressive cast feels vital. Many are mixed on All is Lost, which features Robert Redford and his sailboat, but I really enjoyed what was a rather daring project. A Most Violent Year feels like progress, which doesn’t necessarily come with making a “bigger” film. But the scope of this story reaches farther than he has before. I’m eager to see what Chandor does next.
