A Most Violent Year * * * *

What about this J C Chandor guy then?  Three films under his belt and every one of them is brilliant.   First Margin Call, then All is Lost and now this gem.  He takes us back to 1981 and a true set of circumstances though not necessarily a true story.  Oil is the theme, but this isn’t one of your sweeping oil field dramas. 
This story is about the small to medium sized distribution companies that sell and deliver the stuff to homes and buildings for heating.  You get the impression that in 1981 in New York oil heating was still pretty common. Abel and his wife have built up a good distribution business but the competition is voracious and their trucks are frequently hijacked; their drivers threatened or beaten.  Abel has a plan  but he needs to buy a disused riverside refinery to win.  However, his reputation - indeed the reputation of everyone in the oil distribution business - is not good.  Lenders don’t like dealing with men who have to go to court a lot.  But then some lenders are used to dealing with men like that. Abel and his wife Julian are a colourful and charismatic couple. And although we are happy to watch them on the screen you sense that you wouldn't really want to know them. This beautifully shot and constructed story tells of a few weeks in their life and a deal upon which their future hinges.  A superb re-creation of 1981, but more importantly a powerful drama.