The twelve months referred to in the title of “A Most Violent Year” are those of 1981, a period that saw an unprecedented spike in crime within the boroughs of New York City. This illegality is not the story of the film, though; it is merely an intriguing backdrop for the saga of Oscar Isaac’s Abel Morales as he attempts to expand his property holdings in order to become a more competitive player in the heating oil business. All the world seems to be operating without regard to law or ethics, and it practically invites him to abandon moral high ground.
Abel clings stubbornly to his principles, refusing to arm his trucks even when they get held up and robbed. The film rarely mentions this, but Abel is an immigrant from Colombia who married into a leadership role in the company. While mostly masks the traces of his accent, the effect of his heritage is present in every decision he makes. Abel realizes how far he has come, as well as how far he has to tumble with just a single prideful misstep.
Isaac makes this deliberative stoicism absolutely riveting, coloring Abel with shades of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone from “The Godfather” series. He knows when the character is weak, when he is strong, and, most importantly, when he has absolutely no idea why any of it is worth the trouble. It’s one of the beautiful ironies of “A Most Violent Year” that Isaac seems so in control of Abel, yet each passing scene in the film slowly strips away the illusion of control of his destiny from the character.
The miscarriage of justice in the case of the West Memphis Three, a group of Satanist wrongfully convicted of murdering young children in rural Arkansas, has received plenty of attention from non-fiction filmmakers. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky have created the “Paradise Lost” trilogy about their case; the final film netted them an Oscar nomination. And if that wasn’t enough, Academy Award nominee Amy Berg made her own documentary on the subject, “West of Memphis,” to great acclaim.
Marshall and the Movies 
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