Today's review is The Master.
Written & Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
Review #174
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, graphic nudity and language.
Run Time: 137 min
Cast
Joaquin Phoenix...Freddie Quell
Philip Seymour Hoffman...Lancaster Dodd
Amy Adams...Peggy Dodd
Jesse Plemons...Val Dodd
Ambyr Childers...Elizabeth Dodd
Rami Malek... Clark
Pual Thomas Anderson is an amazing director who makes serious films. In almost every aspect. From story to characters to tone and depth, his films are not for the weak minded. Another aspect of his that makes him somewhat unique is that he's only directed films he's written. Not a new concept in film making but it's rare to see. I for one wished more people did it. It's a talent that a select few have and it should be encouraged to become more of a habit in Hollywood.
Another talent Anderson has is an ability to improve from one film to the next. His films get better and much deeper each time out. Which partly explains why it takes him 5 plus years to crank one out. After his amazing There Will Be Blood. I for one was waiting with anticipation what he would come up with next. The wait is over. The Master has arrived and I wish I could say Anderson followed the trend he started.
I really wish I could....but that would make me a liar.
Plot
A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader.
The first thing that must be said here is that The Master is a very good film. In fact for a lesser director it could be considered an achievement. The problem here is that Anderson is so good at what he does it's unfortunate to see him have an "off" day. The Master plays like two different films at times. One one hand you have the incredible dynamic between Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. On the other hand you have everything else. The balance isn't there.
This film is driven by it's lead characters. Freddie and Lancaster or Master as he's referred to in the film. It's here where The Master absolutely shines. Phoenix and Hoffman play off each other so well it doesn't feel like their acting. The finest example of this is when Master is putting Freddie through an exercise to determine if he's worthy of joining his "cause". There are very few cuts made in this scene. Anderson at one point stays on Phoenix as his emotions are torn apart by Master's inquiry. By far the greatest performance by Phoenix to date. In that scene and overall throughout his career. It was a riveting scene that set the stage for what I expected was going to be an amazing journey.
The Master only took me part of the way.
The biggest problem with this movie was trying to separate Freddie's lunacy with the actual reality of the story. His character is in a word nuts and it gets hard to place what's real and what isn't. There's a perfect scene that illustrates this. Freddie imagines something going on at a gathering of "cause" members that clearly depicts his psychosis. Then later on Amy Adams' character appears to acknowledge the stuff that appeared to take place in Freddie's mind. It was difficult for me to figure out what was reality because in reality that scene could have taken place due to Master's influence over his followers.
The other issue with The Master is the plot development or placement. There were at times a clear agenda with the narrative then it would shift to other areas that weren't as strong to the overall story. This gave the film a jumbled feel and it never recovers as a result. It really is a shame because if the film chose to stay with it's two core themes then I would be talking about another great PTA classic.
The two themes I speak of are the aforementioned relationship between Freddie and Master. The other being the subtle hints throughout that Master like every other cult leader is truly a fraud. PTA does a pretty good job of giving you jabs at the validity of Master's claims and philosophy. At times Master breaks "character" when challenged by an opposing view. It was a nice pull the curtain down on your eyes move that adds to the mystery of Master's true intentions.
As always with any PTA film the cast as a whole turns out stellar performances. This of course is thanks to Anderson's well written script. Plot issues aside, the man can write with the best of them and does so with no care of the audiences ability to pick up what's happening. The man remains defiant when it comes to dumb-ing down his dialogue or scene structure. This is something that I find both appreciative and annoying. He's so good at it that you fall victim to the scenario I brought up earlier with Freddie's "imagination". Regardless, it was something to be expected when walking into a PTA film anyway.
Your brain must be wired and ready to go.
On the 5 star scale. The Master gets 3.5 stars with a "Go See It!" recommendation.
Not one of PTA's his best efforts but certainly not his worst either. A little more structure and clarity would have put this film in the class of Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is End of Watch.
Until Next Episode....I'll Save You A Seat!
"D"
No comments:
Post a Comment