A mostly dull film…
The clamour for the upcoming Star Wars sequel has put the films of Oscar Isaac, David Oyelowo and the rest of the cast of The Force Awakens into sharp focus. A Most Violent Year contains both Isaac and Oyelowo and once again it is Isaac that takes all the plaudits.
Despite being around for years it wasn’t until 2013’s Inside LLewyn Davis that Isaac started to receive attention. Since then Isaac has wowed people with his stunning performance in Ex Machina as well as signing up for both the Star Wars and the X-Men franchise.
Oscar Isaac sports this incredibly sharp coat throughout.
It is easy to see why Isaac is so in demand on the evidence of A Most Violent Year. Despite having valiant support from a better than usual Jessica Chastain and a solid David Oyelowo, it is Isaac that carries the film and makes it more than just a feature length Sopranos episode.
The problem with A Most Violent Year is the antagonist isn’t revealed until near the end of the film and so little has happened up until that point that the big reveal doesn’t really have much of an impact.
For Isaac completists (and you get the feeling it wont be long before such a thing exists) A Most Violent Year is worth watching for a good performance. For everyone else there are much better films available that cover similar subject matter.