Twofer Movie Review: ‘A Most Violent Year’ and ‘Black Sea’ – Danger Surrounds Us

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing two new movies this month, neither of which have gotten proper releases yet, but I believe they’re about to go wide this coming weekend (at least I hope so).  Now, these two films are very different in most respects, but for me personally there are a few important parallels: A. two Academy Award-nominated/winning directors whose previous works I’ve never seen; B. two movies in which it’s crucial for me to explain what they are not in order to appreciate what they are; and C. I highly recommend both of them (and D. neither of them will likely do well with general audiences, unfortunately, but that’s why I’m here).

Neither of these films are perfect, although ‘A Most Violent Year’ definitely deserved more “awards season” buzz than it got (one Golden Globe Nomination for Jessica Chastain; zero other major nominations or wins), but they are both very strong, particularly within their respective genres.

A Most Violent Year

Written and Directed by J.C. Chandor
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Albert Brooks, Glenn Fleshler, Elyes Gabel, Alessandro Nivola, Daisy Tahan, Ashley Williams, Elizabeth Marvel, Robert Clohessy, David Margulies
Soundtrack: Alex Ebert

Right off the bat, I’ll tell you what ‘A Most Violent Year’ is not.

‘A Most Violent Year’, contrary to what you might glean from its trailer, is not a gangster film.

A gangster film sees a man start out as a low-level criminal and work his way up to a much higher position in organized crime, the stakes constantly escalating all the while, as the dark path he has chosen forever dominates his destiny.

‘A Most Violent Year’ is about a man trying desperately to hold onto not just his life, not just his family, and not just his business; it’s really about a man trying to maintain his honor under nearly impossible circumstances.  It’s a movie for those of us who actually work hard to do things the right way, or at least not the criminal way.

At the beginning of the film, Oscar Isaac’s character is signing a contract to buy some waterfront property that would be most advantageous for his oil delivery business.  The terms of this contract dictate that he must close on the property in thirty days, or he will forfeit both his sizable deposit and the land itself.

It may not sound like all that exciting a premise, but this contract is nonetheless what sets the plot in motion.  I don’t want to say too much more because I don’t want to spoil the movie, but I will say that the drama in the film basically comes from watching how much gets piled onto our protagonist, and wondering how far he can bend without actually breaking, as he is surrounded by difficulties on almost all fronts.

Performance-wise, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain are top-notch as the husband and wife team, while Albert Brooks provides his usual genius supporting work (a la ‘Drive‘, though much less sinister), and David Oyelowo is solid as well, although I wish he’d gone with a more neutral American accent (his “Noo Yawk” drawl needs some work).  Also, I don’t know if it was an intentional casting decision or just happenstance, but see if you can spy David Margulies (the “Mayor of New York” from Ghostbusters I & II) somewhere in the film (spoiler alert: he looks older).

Cinematically, I got some pretty strong 1970s William Friedkin vibes (in particular ‘The French Connection‘ and Roy Scheider’s prologue in ‘Sorcerer‘), perhaps cross-pollinated with some early Michael Mann stuff (‘Thief‘, ‘Manhunter‘), which is a good thing.  As an early 1980s New York City period piece, ‘A Most Violent Year’ should and does have a very classic look, and Alex Ebert’s haunting score fits perfectly with it.

Overall, ‘A Most Violent Year’, much like last year’s ‘A Most Wanted Man‘ (unrelated), is a most quiet movie, but that doesn’t mean it’s without thrills.  If you like intelligent crime dramas, or are just tired of the usual action schlock, you should definitely go see it.

★★★★☆

 

Black Sea

Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Written by Dennis Kelly
Cast: Jude Law, Jodie Whittaker, Scoot McNairy, Tobias Menzies, Michael Smiley, David Threlfall, Grigoriy Dobrygin, Ben Mendelsohn, Bobby Schofield, Branwell Donaghey
Soundtrack: Ilan Eshkeri

Full Disclosure: I love submarine movies.

From the fantastical (‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea‘), to the realistic (‘The Hunt for Red October‘), to the classic (‘Run Silent, Run Deep‘), to the comedic (‘Down Periscope‘); if you tell me, “We’re watching a submarine movie,” I’m pretty much fully on board right then and there.

I think part of it may be because my grandfather actually served on a submarine in World War II, but for the most part it’s really because submarines, like military aircraft, just have an inherent “cool factor” about them (although I don’t think I’d ever want to serve on one, and it’s not because I’m claustrophobic).  Like surface ships, trains, planes, and even spacecraft, a submarine makes a great setting for a movie, because the limited location provides built-in drama, which makes it perfect for tense thrillers like ‘Black Sea’.

Now, it’s not like we haven’t had our fair share of submarine flicks in the past twenty years, but they tend to be period pieces, whether based on true stories (‘K-19: The Widowmaker‘) or completely fantastical (‘Below‘).  In fact, since ‘Crimson Tide‘ came out in 1995, I can’t think of a single [serious] theatrically-released submarine film that’s been contemporarily set, until now.  This is one reason why I give ‘Black Sea’ a lot of credit, because at a time when it seems like everything is a remake, reboot, or re-imagining (or something based on a book), Kevin Macdonald gives us something we’ve actually not seen before, at least not for a very long time.  Sure, the basic story is something familiar (hunting for lost treasure), but the way it’s executed is actually unique and interesting.

What’s also interesting is that ‘Black Sea’ is a joint British and Russian production, and I’m so glad that it is.  One thing ‘Black Sea’ is not is an underwater slasher movie (‘Ten Little Indians‘ on a sub), despite what you may perceive from the trailer; it is also not an over-the-top action thriller that forces you to suspend disbelief, which it likely would have been had it been a typical American production).  I mean, I’m no expert on submarines or underwater salvage, but in terms of the technical plot of the film, I found everything to be completely plausible.  There are a few character inconsistencies here and there, but on the whole the movie is very tightly knit together, and the ensemble cast does a good job of getting you invested, so, when things get tense, you actually care.  I don’t use the term “edge-of-your-seat” lightly, but, for me, ‘Black Sea’ definitely falls into that category.

Speaking of the cast, other than being a submarine movie, the biggest selling point for me in actually going to see ‘Black Sea’ was the chance to watch a bunch of familiar faces in an unusual setting (Full Disclosure: I’m something of an Anglophile).  I mean, you’ve got Jude Law, who’s in everything, Scoot McNairy (‘Argo‘ and ‘Gone Girl‘), Ben Mendelsohn (‘The Dark Knight Rises‘ and ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’), Wright/Pegg/Frost alumni Michael Smiley and David Threlfall, and, on the Russian side, Grigoriy Dobrygin (‘A Most Wanted Man‘).  Even people in bit parts stuck out to me; Tobias Menzies I know from the BBC spy series “Spooks” (and ‘Casino Royale‘, apparently), and Jodie Whittaker was in the amazing sci-fi horror comedy ‘Attack the Block‘ (which I highly recommend around Halloween, or even a week after).

Basically, this movie was a real treat for me in almost every way, but, if you like tense thrillers, or are a just a submarine junkie like me, then definitely go see it if you can.  Just be prepared for a few thick British accents and some subtitles for the Russians; and if those are a problem for you, then you probably shouldn’t be reading this anyway.

★★★★☆