The 2010s saw the emergence of several first-time filmmakers that have already taken hold of the general audiences’ attention and inspired fervent anticipation for their upcoming projects. Jordan Peele, Alex Garland, Greta Gerwig, and Ari Aster are now all names that can sell an upcoming movie, but it doesn’t seem likeJ.C. Chandorhas joined that group quite yet. That’s not to suggest anything about his talent, as Chandor has already proven in his four films that he has an aptitude for scale, realism, and emotion that would even impress a master filmmaker. He simply tends to make films that fly under the radar, and, up until recently, he’s managed to avoid the world of franchise filmmaking altogether.
The other reason that Chandor’s name doesn’t suggest a clear type of film is because he seemingly takes on a new genre with each new project. Thus far, Chandor has helmed a timely financial thriller (Margin Call), a gritty survival film (All is Lost), a crime epic (A Most Violent Year), and a Netflix action heist thriller (Triple Frontier). Considering many filmmakers rarely show such diversity in their work, it’s amazing Chandor is already taking so many chances early on in his career. He’s currently working on theSony Marvel projectKraven the Hunter, which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the belovedSpider-Manantagonist. Here is every J.C. Chandor movie, ranked worst to best.
4Triple Frontier
Triple Frontierstands prominently above many of the other Netflix original action films. WhileExtraction, The Gray Man,andBrightamong others do nothing but set up planned franchises,Triple Frontiertakes a more serious approach to the lives of struggling veterans of the United States’ armed services. Despite featuring some incredible action scenes later on, the first section of the film is a more intimate examination of post-traumatic stress disorder. The story revolves around the former soldiers Redfly (Ben Affleck), Pope (Oscar Isaac), Ironhead (Charlie Hunnam), Ben (Garrett Hedlund), and Catfish (Pedro Pascal), who reluctantly agree to rob a South American crime lord’s stash to pay off their debts.
The film’s screenplay, byThe Hurt LockerandZero Dark Thirtywriter Mark Boal, does a great job at showing how poor these men’s treatment by their government is, and why they’re forced to turn to illegal activities in order to provide for their families. The actual heist itself is electrifying, as characters like Redfly have to make decisive ethical choices on a moment’s notice. The only reasonTriple Frontierranks so low is that the third act devolves into a survival thriller that simply isn’t as compelling as the earlier segments, and that characters like Catfish and Ben aren’t given enough character development.
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3All Is Lost
Robert Redford gives one of the best performances of his entire career as an unnamed sailor inAll is Lost, and considering his incredible track record, that is no small statement.All is Lostis about as straightforward as you’re able to get. The film centers on one single character, whose boat is trapped in the midst of the Indian Ocean and pitted against extreme weather conditions. His resources are slowly weaned down over time; Chandor does a great job at showing how this character sees his environment grow smaller and smaller as he has to abandon his boat for a life raft, forcing him to use only sparse materials in order to sustain his life. It’s a film about the deterioration of the spirit as a character clings on to his life in the face of unimaginable opposition. It’s a credit to both Chandor and Redford that the viewer feels so much empathy towards the character without knowing much about his backstory.
It’s refreshing thatAll is Losthas stripped away all conventional elements, but that it doesn’t go too far into arthouse territory either. Outside of some obliquely religious imagery in the very end,All is Lostdepicts literal events as they unfold without any metaphorical segments. Considering how often survival films question the sanity of their characters, it works in the favor ofAll is Lostthat it’s more focused on problem-solving, as it shows the character’s creativity. It also features a hauntingly beautiful score by Alex Ebert. While it’s a tad too long and drags out a few similar scenes in the final act,All is Lostis an impressive second film that showed that Chandor could make a time old story feel fresh again.
Related:Best Robert Redford Movies, Ranked
2A Most Violent Year
When cinephiles think about the type of movies that “they simply don’t make anymore,” a film likeA Most Violent Yearcomes to mind. Set in New York City during the early-1980s,A Most Violent Yearfollows the honest trucking company owner Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) as he attempts to protect his shipments from getting hijacked when crime is at an all-time high. Abel swears that he must retain his integrity, but his wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) pushes him to take more extreme measures in order to secure their family’s future. It’s a fascinating ethical debate, and despite the film’s impressive scope, the story is mostly centered on how this marriage is tested during a stressful period of time.
Isaac and Chastain would later play another married couple in HBO’sScenes From A Marriage, but they proved inA Most Violent Yearthat they could recreate realistic arguments that lovers who are business partners would have. However, it’s Chandor’s writing that truly elevates their chemistry.Film critic Richard Roeperfelt that there was “a David Mamet-like cadence to Chandor’s script,” but that he still “got his own very strong voice,” and named the film as one of the 10 best of 2014.
1Margin Call
There aren’t many directorial debuts in recent memory that leave such a strong impression on the audience asMargin Call. A riveting financial thriller set during the collapse of a major Wall Street investment bank,Margin Callfollows the staffer Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) after he discovers from a fired co-worker (Stanley Tucci) that their employer made a major data error. While Peter attempts to warn his bosses that the collapse could throw the entire market into irrevocable danger, his greedy CEO John Tuld (Jeremy Irons) attempts to find a way to keep the bank alive without concern about the collateral damage. The film features an excellent ensemble cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, and Demi Moore as the various employees weighing over these decisions.
Margin Callis so brilliantly written that it nails the minutiae of modern economics, yet still shows the clear cut morality of the characters. Since it takes place in a short window of time,Margin Callcontinues to increase in intensity until the very end. Chandor earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his work, which was praised by financial experts for its realism.Bloomberg Newscalled it “the best finance movie.”
