A Most Violent Year
3 weeks into January and i can already say i've seen one of the best films of the year so far. Written and directed by J.C. Chandor and starring Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Albert Brooks and Elyes Gabel.
Just an absolutely f*cking great film. You don't get films coming along like this too often, but when you do you have to treasure them. It feels like a classic and harks back to the olden days of moody, dirty, gritty movies. Great acting, great story, great direction and masterful filmmaking of the highest order.
Oscar Isaac is fantastic. He owns this. Best performance i've seen from him and is seriously one of the best actors working in Hollywood right now. Period. Absolute travesty he wasn't nominated for Best Actor. He was overlooked because this year it's such a tough category, but imo he should have been included. If he isn't huge now, he's gonna be massive when Star Wars and XMen: Apocolypse come out.
Jessica Chastain is stunning. Rightly nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She kills in this and also proves why she's one of the best actress' working in Hollywood right now. Her and Isaac make a great team.
David Oyelowo doesn't feature as much but when he does he's superb too.
The mind boggles when i see all the the films nominated for Best Picture and this isn't on there. So impressed by this film. It's not anything new granted, but what it does it does exceptionally well.
If you're going in expecting a gangster movie, you're gonna be disappointed. If you're going in expecting loads of violence, you're gonna be disappointed. Just soak it in. A terrific film and thoroughly recommended. It deserves all the praise it gets.
Just an absolutely f*cking great film. You don't get films coming along like this too often, but when you do you have to treasure them. It feels like a classic and harks back to the olden days of moody, dirty, gritty movies. Great acting, great story, great direction and masterful filmmaking of the highest order.
Oscar Isaac is fantastic. He owns this. Best performance i've seen from him and is seriously one of the best actors working in Hollywood right now. Period. Absolute travesty he wasn't nominated for Best Actor. He was overlooked because this year it's such a tough category, but imo he should have been included. If he isn't huge now, he's gonna be massive when Star Wars and XMen: Apocolypse come out.
Jessica Chastain is stunning. Rightly nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She kills in this and also proves why she's one of the best actress' working in Hollywood right now. Her and Isaac make a great team.
David Oyelowo doesn't feature as much but when he does he's superb too.
The mind boggles when i see all the the films nominated for Best Picture and this isn't on there. So impressed by this film. It's not anything new granted, but what it does it does exceptionally well.
If you're going in expecting a gangster movie, you're gonna be disappointed. If you're going in expecting loads of violence, you're gonna be disappointed. Just soak it in. A terrific film and thoroughly recommended. It deserves all the praise it gets.
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Comments
Only about 40 people in my Sunday early evening screening. Not very good in the first week of release. American Sniper still very popular.
Very empty cinema this afternoon, and two of the "audience" spent an hour chatting on their phones before walking out. I think this film has been marketed badly because it's not a high-octane gangster caper, it's a serious character study and well worth seeing for the acting and the understated but absorbing recreation of NYC in the 80s.
It doesn't actually interest me at all but I adore Jessica Chastain and I will watch her in anything.
the title and it being classed as a gangster movie is going to dupe so many people haha.
Oscar Isaac was great in this (and Two Faces Of January) on his way to becoming one of the best actors around.
...and Jessica Chasten is a fine actress and just very sexy to me.