MovieChat Forums > A Most Violent Year (2015) Discussion > A Fine Film, but I Hate its Message

A Fine Film, but I Hate its Message

posted 10 years ago by tabbycat
2 replies | jump to latest

The movie seems to be saying that some industries are so corrupt that it barely matters whether the participants actually break the law. The assumption that everyone is crooked is so strong that police will proceed on that belief and find something to prosecute. Thugs beat his drivers bloody in broad daylight, steal his fuel to sell to "respectable" businessmen who pretend not to know, and HE gets indicted while the thugs stay free and prosper. And how dare he try to arm his drivers so they can defend themselves -- can't have that! Even his wife assumes it's okay to skim from the business because he must be already crooked anyway.

Does such a system even care if a person is actually guilty?
This movie seems to say no.

Nice world we live in.

[–] doughazelrigg 9 years ago

I have a slightly different take. The world is indeed corrupt, so it's vital that relatively decent men know how to game that corruption so that they win

[–] Ithilfaen 9 years ago

The problem here is that you view movies like they're afterschool specials meant to teach you a valuable lessons. The movie has no "message".

Abel starts off thinking he can be Mr Clean in a dirty business. Circumstances and pressure get him to slowly corrupt his principles until he's as dirty as the rest.
Nobody said it's right. There's no moral judgement for us to shake our heads or nod at.

Thugs beat his drivers bloody in broad daylight, steal his fuel to sell to "respectable" businessmen who pretend not to know, and HE gets indicted while the thugs stay free and prosper.

Because catching a few truck highjackers doesn't make a political career, whereas "cleaning the oil trucking industry" makes headlines.

And how dare he try to arm his drivers so they can defend themselves -- can't have that!

Do you actually think that was a smart choice with what happened next?

Even his wife assumes it's okay to skim from the business because he must be already crooked anyway.

It's precisely the opposite. She does it because she thinks he's too "clean" to do it and that things will get ugly and they'll have nothing to fall back on.

Nice world we live in.

Did you fall asleep in Disneyland in the 1950ies and wake up just now?

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco