A Most Violent Year
| A Most Violent Year | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | J. C. Chandor |
| Produced by | J. C. Chandor Neal Dodson Anna Gerb |
| Written by | J. C. Chandor |
| Starring |
Oscar Isaac Jessica Chastain David Oyelowo Alessandro Nivola Albert Brooks Elyes Gabel |
| Music by | Alex Ebert |
| Cinematography | Bradford Young |
| Edited by | Ron Patane |
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Production
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| Distributed by | A24 |
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Release date
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Running time
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125 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $12 million |
A Most Violent Year is a 2014 American crime drama film written and directed by J. C. Chandor. The film stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain with Alessandro Nivola, David Oyelowo, Albert Brooks, and Catalina Sandino Moreno. The protagonist is Abel Morales (Isaac), the owner of a small heating-oil company who is stressed by the competitiveness in the oil trade and his having to secure costly loans to expand his business. When his truck drivers start getting hijacked, there is increased pressure for his drivers to arm themselves.
The film premiered as the opening film of the AFI Fest on November 6, 2014 and it was released theatrically on December 31, 2014. It garnered positive reviews, and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Film.
In 1981 New York, Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) is the owner of an up-and-coming company which has suffered the hijacking of several trucks, each carrying heating-oil worth thousands of dollars. One driver, Julian (Elyes Gabel), is severely beaten when his oil truck is hijacked by two unknown assailants. Abel's wife, Anna Morales (Jessica Chastain), beseeches Abel to fight violence with violence, but Abel refuses. Morales and his company are under investigation by Assistant District Attorney Lawrence (David Oyelowo), who seems determined to expose price fixing, tax evasion, and various other illegalities committed by Morales and his competitors in the heating oil business.
As a way to secure financial independence for himself and trump his competitors, Abel, with the help of his attorney, Andrew Walsh (Albert Brooks), brokers a deal with a group of Jewish Chassidim, led by Josef Mendellsohn (Jerry Adler), to purchase a fuel oil terminal on the East River. This will allow Morales' company to directly import fuel oil from barges and to store far more oil in the summertime when fuel oil prices are lower. He places a large down payment of 40% on the property with the agreement that he will close in 30 days—if he fails to do so, the Chassidim will sell the terminal to one of Morales' competitors and keep the down payment.
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