The Master - Paul Thomas Anderson

by Broken Headphones Let me just start by saying that "The Master" is NOT for everyone. This is a movie specifically designed to intensely challenge and shock its viewers in the most harrowing and uncomfortable ways you can imagine. There are several scenes that may simply leave you scratching your head in utter confusion and make you wonder why that entire sequence was added to begin with. But honestly, that's exactly what makes this flick so fascinating to watch. It never takes the time to explain itself, nor does it even try to, and yet, the movie solidly commands your attention in all its enigmatic glory. The characters Paul Thomas Anderson has created here are nothing short of complex, if not disturbing. Freddie Quell (played with brilliant force by the underrated Joaquin Phoenix) is a World War II veteran whose experiences overseas have left him a completely manic and unstable shadow of his former self - a drifter controlled by his unrestrained temper and heavy drinking obsession. Just when it finally seems as though he's reached his nadir, Freddie inadvertently finds himself aboard a ship carrying Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the creepily charismatic leader of "The Cause", a mysterious religious movement with unclear motives. Over the course of the film, Dodd manages to persuade Freddie to join the cult and takes him under his wing - much to the distaste of Dodd's overbearing and fanatical wife (Amy Adams). Because "The Master" focuses almost all of its attention on character development rather than cohesive storytelling, the film has a sense of erratic claustrophobia to it that makes it all the more difficult to sit through. Phoenix pretty much drives the movie with his surreal portrayal of an insane man on the brink of self-destruction. The way his character unintelligibly mumbles, the way he irrationally and unconsciously acts without thinking makes it all the more terrifyingly believable. As for Hoffman's performance, one could argue that it's even more impressive than Phoenix's. His unnerving depiction of a manipulative cult leader has a persona that ranges from seemingly charming to downright monstrous. Adams' psychotic character is also a scene-stealer, but she hardly gets any screen time compared to her male co-stars, which is a shame. Above all, "The Master" is a powerful commentary on both society and the individual - the need for acceptance, belonging, a figure to look up to: particularly in the time shortly after war, where so many young men returned to a nation that didn't know what to do with them all - all focused through the bare-bone emotion of Phoenix's character. But due to its unflinching rawness, this film becomes too overbearing at times, making it feel largely unattainable for a wider audience. There are a lot of scenes that may easily shock you both mentally and physically (at one point in the flick, the main character experiences a disturbing fever dream in which he imagines all the women in the room he's in are completely nude). This movie is definitely not for the most sensitive viewers, and it'll probably leave you with more questions than answers, but if you appreciate filmmaking at its most creatively daring and audaciously polarizing, I still recommend giving it a chance. Even if you aren't the biggest fan of Paul Thomas Anderson's work, "The Master" is well worth seeing at least once for its magnificent performances, expert cinematography, and challenging - albeit confounding - screenplay.

by Eckomania I'm a huge PT Anderson fan. I was lucky enough to see a 70mm film print of this film, knew quite a bit about the subject matter, and was quite excited to see it. But I left the theater disappointed. In the few times Anderson has failed during his career its usually because his script is heavy on dialog and contains an unfocused narrative. This is no exception and it has to be ranked amongst his worst outings as a filmmaker.

by MrTnyc Great acting, useless story.

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