The Plot: Set during 1981, said to be the most violent year in New York history, the movie follows entrepreneur Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) as he struggles to expand his oil business following several armed robberies of his goods. As Abel tries to remain diplomatic and non-violent in a world full of thugs who couldn't care less, his wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) grows increasingly impatient with his pacifist methodology. Why It's Awesome: Here's a movie that just drips with the mood and feeling of so many classic urban thrillers from the 1970s, from the grimy cinematography to Isaac's very Al Pacino-esque performance in the lead role. Isaac gives his best turn to date here in a character study of a man trying to do the good thing when nobody else around him seems to much care about what's right, and all the way to the finish line, writer-director J.C. Chandor (Margin Call, All Is Lost) avoids the expected cliches. It's not an action-packed gangster thriller like you might expect, but it's totally absorbing all the same. How To Watch It: On VOD now (US) / DVD May 18 (UK)
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
