There is a lot of crap out there. So when something like A Most Violent Year comes along, it is my pleasure to bring that cinematic option to you. Director J.C. Chandor 's follow-up to his engaging lost-at-sea picture All Is Lost , is the gritty crime drama A Most Violent Year . Now, I am not one to seek out crime dramas past the mid '90s, but it was clear to me watching his previous feature that Chandor is a talented new director. The film unites Jessica Chastain ( Interstellar , Zero Dark Thirty ) with her former Juilliard classmate Oscar Isaac ( Inside Llewyn Davis , W.E. ), whom she suggested for the lead after Javier Bardem dropped out. A Most Violent Year is set in New York City during a cold winter of 1981, statistically the highest crime year the city had seen. Amidst this chilling backdrop, the ambitious owner of a growing heating-oil delivery company, Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), is being investigated under suspicion of corruption, by the District Attorney. Abel