In 1981, Abel Morales - the owner of an oil heating company - is about to become the proprietor of a very valuable and important fuel terminal. He has 30 days to get financiers together, in order to close the deal; otherwise he loses his deposit and risks bankruptcy. During this period, as Abel's trucks start getting hijacked and his wife is pleading for him to fight back, his company also becomes under investigation by the Assistant DA. Morales has to sustain pressure on all fronts to attain the success he so eagerly desires.

The themes and even the visual style of "A Most Violent Year" are reminiscent of many crime films of the 70's and early 80's, in particular "The Godfather Part II": not only for the lighting (shadows over the characters' eyes) and color palette (dark yellow and brown), but also due to Oscar Isaac's Abel Morales, whose overall conduct and mannerisms recall a young Michael Corleone.

This film isn't another generic crime thriller with lots of explosions and shootouts; it builds on suspense, at a steady pace, as it tries to push its main character over the edge. "A Most Violent Year" becomes a sort of meditative observation of a man struggling to maintain his values and ideals while the world he knows crumbles around him. While it is certainly a gritty film and it's obvious that J.C. Chandor has done his homework, I cannot help but feel he should have brought more of his own voice to it. He takes many influences but doesn't bring anything particularly new to the table; Abel is interesting, but I felt the plot could have serviced him (and the other characters) better than it does.

"A Most Violent Year" stands on the shoulder of giants but doesn't try to reach higher. By the end of the film you're left disappointed, that what could have been easily a great film settled for less. To quote Abel Morales: "When it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump, otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life." It's a shame J.C. Chandor didn't jump when he should have.