This movie could have been great. It's a unique topic - corruption in the NYC heating oil business in the 80's. Great location. Great time period. Great cast.

Could have been a nice gritty slow-burn drama or a mob-style crime story. But it is neither.

And the main problem is that Oscar Isaac's character has zero motivation. ZERO.

Threats come at him from all sides because of his heating oil business - threats to his family, his livelihood, his freedom - and the most we get from him as a reason for why he still wants to stay in business is... uh... hang on... I know a character asked him point blank why he was doing it. Let me try to remember what Oscar said. Oh I remember now - NOTHING AT ALL.

He gives no reason. He has no reason. He shows us no reason. He is just movie character man doing plot things because movie.

And writer/director Chandor is perfectly fine with this because he's too busy oiling the hinges on all the doors his characters use. Every single scene starts way too early. Characters come home or arrive at the office or get in the car. Door after door is opened. Lu-cy I'm home!

And the scenes all start the same way on a static wide shot of whatever dim lit room the character is entering and we hold on that shot until all the other characters have entered or walked into the scene from off camera.

The whole film has zero drive. Main character has no drive. Scenes have no drive. And many many Chekhov guns go unshot.

And I'm not talking about the lack of violence. I don't care that it's not violent. I'm talking about setting up things for the audience that have zero payoff. Promises that go unfulfilled. Questions that are never answered. And one that is so conveniently answered in what can only be described as Deus Ex Machina at the end.

Had high hopes for this one after All is Lost, which I really enjoyed how Chandor did so much with so little and kept the story engaging. But this movie was nowhere near as well-crafted, and at 2 hours plus, I suggest avoiding it.