A thriller set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically one of the most violent years in the city's history, and centered on the lives of an immigrant and his family trying to expand their business and capitalize on opportunities as the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built.
Cinematography
That golden-hour oil storage facility glow — Bradford Young is a wizard
Acting
Isaac and Chastain's marriage feels lived-in, dangerous, weirdly hot
Costume
That camel coat. That's it. That's the tweet.
Director
J.C. Chandor
Oscar Isaac
Abel Morales
Jessica Chastain
Anna Morales
David Oyelowo
D.A. Lawrence
Alessandro Nivola
Peter Forente
Elyes Gabel
Julian
Albert Brooks
Andrew Walsh
Catalina Sandino Moreno
Luisa
Peter Gerety
Bill O'Leary
Christopher Abbott
Louis Servidio
Glenn Fleshler
Arnold Kline
David Margulies
Saul Lefkowitz
Jerry Adler
Joseph Mendelsohn
Ben Rosenfield
Sales Student Alex
John Procaccino
Arthur Lewis
Ashley Williams
Deputy Lange
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The title refers to actual 1981 NYC crime statistics, not the film's body count — which is surprisingly low for something called 'violent.'
Chandor's father worked in commercial real estate; the film's anxious authenticity comes from watching immigrants navigate corrupt systems firsthand.
US
