Ever since Martin Scorsese was invented in a Manhattan sound studio in the 1970s, I have believed that every.single.person who lived in NYC in the 20th Century was involved, somehow, in organized crime. I was wrong. Apparently one guy was not. Thank you, J.C. Chandor for setting the record straight. Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) was a legitimate business man, not a gangster. He probably should have been a gangster.
You can tell exactly where this one is going from the outset – Abel gives a $1 M downpayment on some waterfront business property, with 30 days to make up the difference. Gee, what do you think is going to happen? This venue will help him rule the oil heating business. Why does he want to do this? Because he can. Abel is, to coin a phrase, able. This is the psychological profile of a man who acts out of necessity to achieve and who sees big risk as big opportunity.
The suggested, but decidedly unsaid, commentary is guys like Abel are doomed – one miscalculation and they’re back at square one. And this is essentially where the plot goes. The month following is a small business owner’s personal nightmare – his trucks get robbed; he gets indicted; he gets a personal visit from the mob; the banks let him down; his employees let him down; and he even hits a buck on the highway. The buck scene is quite poignant – not fan of violence, Abel steps out outside his vehicle and retrieves a tire iron to put the poor creature out of its misery. While he squeamishly approaches, wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) produces a hand gun and finishes the animal. I’ve been critical of Chastain’s icy demeanor before, but it totally works here. She, btw, is connected and offers on several occasions to help solve her husband’s troubles with a call to daddy.
A Most Violent Year (Which isn’t terribly violent and takes place almost entirely within one month of 1981. Blatant false advertising!) shows the supreme 
difficulty of telling a gangster story without leaning on the actions of mob enforcers. Everybody stays alive?! WTF?! NYC street problems solved with words and investigation? Leaning on a lawyer instead of consigliore? Refusal to buy off cops? That’s crazy talk. All of the influences around Abel say, “give in. Join the dark side. C’mon, you know you want to.” Not only that, he looks like a mobster – new mansion, expensive clothing, guarded demeanor, confrontational personality and, what the Hell? Abel continues to headbutt the problems while showing backbone and integrity.
Geez, Abel, do you realize city kids could view your behavior and consider going on the straight and narrow? Geez, what kind of role model are you? I don’t think there’s much future for the non-mafia mafia film, but this one was pretty good.
He may not be Abel to get it right
Friends keep telling to solve with might
A succinct reply
What kind of guy
Brings a lawyer to a gun fight?
Rated R, 125 Minutes
D: J.C. Chandor
W: J.C. Chandor
Genre: Non-mobster mobster
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Gangsters, while chuckling to themselves “ain’t that cute.”
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Embarrassed mobsters. Whatsamatta, fellas? Can’t run an honest guy out of town?
