YMMV / A Most Violent Year

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • Is Arnold Kline the Big Bad, part of a Big Bad Ensemble with one or more of Abel's fellow rivals, or just an unlucky businessman who chose to buy oil that he knew or suspected was stolen without specifically hiring anyone to go after it?
  • Peter can be seen as an Affably Evil mobster who isn't actively sabotaging Abel and wishes him well, a Manipulative Bastard who might very well be involved with Abel's troubles, or even an honest man putting up a facade of dishonesty in order to intimidate Abel out of a risky and foolish decision.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Two of the film's most popular characters only have about fifteen minutes of screen time apiece.
  • Servidio, the Punch-Clock Villain hijacker, is quite popular.
  • Fans also like Peter, Abel's Ambiguously Evil competitor who seems genuinely friendly and insightful even as neither Abel or the audience can be quite sure about whether to trust him.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Gerety the tough Teamsters boss urging Abel to take a tougher stance against the hijackers can feel a bit underused, Especially in the aftermath of Julien going on the run.

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