In 1981, there were more reported robberies in New York City (over 120,000) than in any year in its history. There were over 2,100 murders that year (slightly down from the previous year) including such infamous crimes as the mob-related Shamrock Bar murders in Queens. After years of steadily increasing crime rates, it seemed unlikely in 1981 that New York would ever reverse course.
This should make a very intriguing backdrop for the new film A Most Violent Year by J.C. Chandor, starring Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac.
We last saw Isaac in another New York flashback — Inside Llewyn Davis — which gave us a spectacular view of 1960s Greenwich Village. And Chandor himself dabbled in some recent history with his debut film Margin Call, about the 2007 financial crash.
The film is set for an end-of-the-year release. So far the production design looks very promising:
And here’s a few images of New York City in 1981 for comparison:
Top pic courtesy New York Daily News/Getty Images. Middle picture courtesy Luper/Panoramio. Meryl Streep courtesy Life Magazine!