A Most Violent Year

I watched the trailer a few months ago and got me intrigued. Even though I had it available to watch any time, I haven't got myself in the mood to do so.

 

Who wants to watch a movie that is well acted with good cinematography but has a shit boring story? Because that is exactly what this film is. It sold violence and gangsterism yet provided so little of both that I was still waiting for those elements right up until the credits started rolling. Basically all this film is about is a guy trying to figure out who keeps robbing his business while trying to also grow his business the nongangster way. He also deals with some financial problems due to losing his loan and his wife constantly pushing on his "use the gangster way" buttons. There is a pretty cool meeting with the other heads of the business he is in but it's not that great and certainly not worth sitting through this film for.

I love a good drama and it could be that the title and trailer had me anticipating the violence and gangster element so much that I possibly missed a good movie here (I'm sure Anthony would argue that) but I seriously doubt it. I'm almost certain this was just a boring movie any way you slice it and once it was over I really regretted that I hadn't just aborted the viewing a lot earlier. 5/10.

 

Then you failed to warn me properly. "It's boring" should have been your warning. Slow implies the movie takes a while but does eventually get going, which is something I can deal with.

 

Agreed with lb 4 lb, this was an awful film. Boring as fuck.

 

I'm afraid the world has moved on and life moves too fast now.
'Slow' or 'Boring' movies belong in a bygone era...like the 1970s.

 

I'm referring more to the actual pace of the movie than it's content.
Stuff like 'The Conversation', 'Chinatown', 'Five Easy Pieces', Taxi Driver' - I think these are different to art-house such as 'There Will Be Blood' or 'Mulholland Drive', 'A Clockwork Orange' etc

 

But then I guess, those first four could been as 'Art House' as well? :dunno:

 

But even now, I watch these movies and....they're just really, really slow.

'Bullitt': archetypal maverick cop movie and stars the era's leading action hero icon, but the majority of the movie is slower than Carlos Monzon on Qualuudes and the dialogue so labored it was cliched before there was a cliche to compare it to! If not for the awesome car chase scene, people wouldn't namecheck it in McQueen's CV as 'great'.

 

Did you like Blood Ties and The Drop? How does this movie compare to those in quality and slowness?

 

AMVY dude.

 

The Thin Red Line.

Didn't like it when it came out....can watch it no problem now...

 

Man, by the time I got around to watching this I had completely forgotten about your review. Even still, with the title of the film and not knowing exactly what a movie having no soul even means I probably still would have watched it. Now had you written it was Terrance Malik like I would have avoided it like the plague .

 

edit

 

It compares like this. The Drop was good. Even when nothing much was happening you at least had good meaningful dialogue and character development. With this film you had character development and dialogue but it felt neither good nor meaningful. I'd recommend just skipping it. Like Anthony says it shouldn't even qualify as drama. The shit is boring, trust me.

 

I like great acting as much as the next man but this film is exhibit A that a great story with shitty acting is better than the opposite.

 

Then stop saying that it's worth watching for the acting.

 

No but you're being confusing. First you say it's art house and not for the masses but you're also saying it's worth watching for the acting. Shouldn't you be saying it's worth watching for the acting IF you like art house?