The Master
THE MASTER (15)
D: Paul Thomas Anderson
TWC/Annapurna (Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Lupi, Megan
Ellison & JoAnne Sellar)
US 2012
138 mins
Drama
W: Paul Thomas Anderson
DP: Mihai Mālaimare, Jr.
Ed: Leslie Jones & Peter McNulty
Mus: Jonny Greenwood
Joaquin Phoenix (Freddie Quell), Philip
Seymour Hoffman (Lancaster Dodd), Amy Adams (Peggy Dodd), Laura Dern (Helen Sullivan), Madisen Beaty (Doris Solstad), Ambyr Childers (Elizabeth)
Joaquin Phoenix plays a naval officer returning to US soil
following a tour of duty and suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
He is seduced by Amy Adams into joining a strange cult, headed
by her flamboyant father, Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), but the rebellious officer is a hard man to manage.
Aside from a trio of excellent performances, the film has
little to write home about, dragging on occasion and far less engaging or immersive than the director's previous efforts (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood).
6/10
