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“A Most Violent Year” may not have cracked any of the Academy's categories…but so what? It's one of the best films of last year, a stylish ode to the oft-longed-for craftsmanship of the '70s with two of the year's most compelling performances from Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain (and nothing to sneeze at from their co-stars, to be sure).

Isaac and Chastain studied acting together at Juilliard, and as director J.C. Chandor notes in the exclusive featurette above, they've pretty much known each other as long as their husband and wife characters in the film. That dynamic makes for fun fireworks on screen and the whole cast is really dialed in, from Albert Brooks' consigliere of sorts to David Oyelowo's dogged district attorney. Alex Ebert's emotive score (and amazing closing credits song), Bradford Young's jaw-dropping cinematography – it's a very rich cinema experience, and it's finally opening wide tomorrow.

So consider that a hearty recommendation for the weekend if you haven't seen the film yet. It'll be well-remembered, Oscars or not.

Learn more from behind the scenes in the clip above.