Overview
In a city rife with danger, one family's ambition could lead to their downfall.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- gritty
- brooding
- foreboding
- serious movie night
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a gritty, gripping, atmospheric crime thriller with thought-provoking moral weight and strong performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Abel Morales attempts to expand his heating-oil business without adopting the violence and corruption surrounding him.
The winter of 1981, described as one of New York City’s most violent years, shapes the film’s atmosphere and conflict.
Abel’s business expansion embodies the promise of upward mobility while exposing the compromises demanded by a decaying capitalist environment.
The film builds suspense through threats, corruption, and business pressure with a controlled, atmospheric style.
Films like A Most Violent Year, and why
The Godfather
shares a morally complex protagonist, corruption, business ethics, and sustained low-boil crime tension in an urban setting
Goodfellas
shares 1980s New York crime, immigrant ambition, capitalism, and an atmospheric, morally pressured family-business drama
Serpico
shares a restrained crime thriller structure, institutional corruption, ethical compromise, and the influence of Sidney Lumet
There Will Be Blood
shares corrosive ambition, financial pressure, and a tense portrait of power pursued through ethically fraught business practices
Movie Details
- Director
- J.C. Chandor
- Release Date
- 2014-12-31
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1589)
Cast
- Oscar Isaac
- Jessica Chastain
- David Oyelowo
- Alessandro Nivola
- Elyes Gabel
- Albert Brooks
- Catalina Sandino Moreno
- Peter Gerety
- Christopher Abbott
- Glenn Fleshler
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Most Violent Year about?
- An immigrant entrepreneur fights to preserve his business ethics and family as New York’s violent winter of 1981 turns expansion into a moral siege.
- What is A Most Violent Year like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Most Violent Year as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Most Violent Year violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A Most Violent Year as moderate.
- What did critics think of A Most Violent Year?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a gritty, gripping, atmospheric crime thriller with thought-provoking moral weight and strong performances.
- Which films are like A Most Violent Year?
- Films with a similar feel include The Godfather, Goodfellas, Serpico, and There Will Be Blood.
- How long is A Most Violent Year?
- A Most Violent Year runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Most Violent Year?
- In United States, A Most Violent Year streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
