J. C. Chandor's third movie looks at New York City in the crime-ridden early 1980s. Oscar Isaac's businessman finds himself forced to take drastic financial and physical action due to competition from rival companies, and hijackings of trucks.

One thing that caught my eye was the comparison/contrast between Abel (Isaac) and Anna (Jessica Chastain). He looks like a hard-boiled type, while she looks innocent and delicate. But when talking, she turns out to be as tough as he is. A person would have to be tough to survive in this sleazy, corrupt world that Abel and Anna inhabit.

All in all, "A Most Violent Year" is one impressive movie. As with "Margin Call", Chandor shows the effects that a slimy world has on individuals. I recommend it.

Also starring Albert Brooks, Alessandro Nivola, Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria in "Maria Full of Grace"), David Oyelowo (Martin Luther King Jr. in "Selma"), and David Margulies (the mayor in "Ghostbusters").

One of the characters mentioned the number of murders that New York saw in 1980. I immediately realized that included John Lennon.