"THE MASTER"
Written and Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
*** 1/2 (three and a half stars)
Sometimes the act of finding greatness within a film arrives some time after the initial viewing.As far as I am concerned, Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson is unquestionably one of the greatest American filmmakers working today. In my mind, he has firmly established himself as an heir to holding a seat at the cinematic "Round Table" where the likes of both Robert Altman and Stanley Kubrick once sat (and shall forever remain). From his debut with "Hard Eight" (1996) through "Boogie Nights" (1997), "Magnolia" (1999), "Punch-Drunk Love" (2002), and "There Will Be Blood" (2007), Anderson has brilliantly carved out his own increasingly idiosyncratic creative niche in the film world, unapologetically creating a movie universe all his own and filled with upending ambiguity, sweeping emotions, extraordinary philosophical debates and so very much to chew on long after the end credits have scrolled.
At this stage in Paul Thomas Anderson's career, the arrival of a new film from him is undeniably an event and I would never miss a new P.T. Anderson motion picture for the world. However, when I walked out of a screening of his sixth film, "The Master," I have to admit that I found it to be more than a little bit of a head scratcher. Not that the film was difficult to follow or comprehend. But that "The Master" is so conceptually and thematically packed to the gills that I found myself unable to truly take it all in with just one viewing. It immediately felt to me to be the type of film where you can see the greatness in front of you, but that greatness might not fully make its presence or impact known until the second or possibly even third viewing. I do not say that to frighten some of you away from seeing this film. Quite the contrary, "The Master" is indeed another type of film that is unlike any other currently playing right now. It is the very kind of film that easily separates itself from existing as just a movie to one where it is indeed an experience. And with that, there is some heavy lifting to be had on the part of the audience as Anderson has absolutely no intention or desire to tell you what to think or even how to feel about his stories and characters, a deterrent for those who just want to be entertained when they go to the movies. But, do believe me dear readers, "The Master" has more than its share of actual entertainment value as it is a film that is presented in such a supreme fashion through the writing, direction, set design, music score, editing and profoundly magnetic acting performances from the entire cast including a leading performance of unprecedented force by Joaquin Phoenix. "The Master" is a film that I have a strong feeling that you will be hearing about for quite some time, especially as we head into awards season...and deservedly so. But, to get in on the conversation, you have to take the chance and see this film, which I am urging you to do with high confidence.
Beginning in 1945, at the conclusion of World War II, Joaquin Phoenix stars as the psychologically damaged and alcoholic Freddie Quell, a soldier who returns home from the war and struggles to make his place back in civilized society. After losing his job as a department store photographer, Quell becomes a transient drifter and soon finds himself within the company of Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who describes himself as "a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist and a theoretical philosopher, but above all, I am a man, a hopelessly inquisitive man, just like you." Dodd is also the founder and leader of a new faith based movement entitled The Cause, which is beginning to gain a foothold into the American consciousness. "The Master," as a whole and at its core is an exploration of the relationship that ensues between these two diametrically opposite men.
To begin, "The Master" makes for a characteristically strong addition into the oeuvre of Paul Thomas Anderson as the film easily shares themes with several of Anderson's previous works. The character of Freddie Quell is yet another one of Anderson's misfits from society's fringes as we have seen in most of his films. Many of the inhabitants of Lancaster Dodd's organization all serve to create similar makeshift family dynamics like those we saw in "Boogie Nights." Dodd himself shares the same dangerously charismatic traits of Burt Reynolds' patriarchal porn film director in "Boogie Nights" as well as the more malevolent qualities of another fringe movement leader, Frank "T.J." Mackey (Tom Cruise) from 'Magnolia." And most certainly, the battle of wills between two conflicting forces of nature as exhibited by Quell and Dodd is an obvious echo to the feverish duel we witnessed between ruthless oilman Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) and the ambitious religious figure Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) in "There Will Be Blood." Yet, Anderson finds compelling ways to ensure that this material transcends mere recycling of past ideas and themes as he uses them to explore the pursuit of power from a fresh angle.
Certainly people are sure to wonder if "The Master" is an expose upon the controversial Church Of Scientology and to that, I guess I really don't care that much, if at all. I think that Anderson has greater issues on his mind than to provide audiences with some sort of prurient and loosely fictionalized investigation into an organization that has long been perceived to be a cult. I also do not think that "The Master" is necessarily a dissertation upon the nature of religion itself, therefore negating the film from existing as no more than Bill Maher's wet dream. For me, "The Master" is as much about Scientology (or even religion) as it could be about...oh, I don't know...Amway. "The Master" powerfully establishes a world where a belief system is originated and controlled by the act and actions of one individual and we witness how that organization grows, thrives, and survives, thus, bringing continuous power and influence to its creator. Yes, in "The Master" we are essentially dealing with a cult but I believe that Paul Thomas Anderson is dealing primarily with the cult of personality.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of my favorite actors working today and again, in "The Master," he delivers a performance that is so complete and fully lived in that I never thought for one moment about any previous roles he has had. His diligence and sheer commitment make each and every performance he gives so singular and definitive, and his work as Lancaster Dodd is no exception. His charisma is palpable as is his sense of command and utter finality in the words and ways of The Cause. You can see so easily how he has been able to build, maintain and grow his foundation but what Hoffman does so incredibly is to give Dodd a minuscule chink in his armor, making you question if he fully believes what he is selling or if this is his duplicitous method of gathering a foothold into the American Dream. Hoffman gives Dodd that tiny layer of doubt that suggests to us that every single word he utters is nothing more than snake oil, a possibility that informs his entire relationship with Freddie Quell and the factor that makes that relationship so crucial. If Dodd is able to control and succeed with Quell's complete indoctrination into The Cause, then his words and beliefs will be proven once and for all to himself and to his flock. But if not, his organization will fall like a house of cards and all will know that he may truly be nothing more than a charlatan. This possibility of Lancaster Dodd's feet of clay is the very key to Amy Adams' unnerving performance as Lancaster's wife, Peggy Dodd. She is undoubtedly a true believer in The Cause, the one whose faith is unshakable and therefore, quite frightening as Lancaster's theories, which involve time travel based hypnotism techniques. for instance, are unorthodox to say the least.
And then, there is the question if Freddie Quell can be tamed and indoctrinated at all, which leads me to the one element of this film where I am able to give an unequivocal rave and that is the performance of Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix's performance is an act of such transformation, the likes of which I have never seen him elicit before. From his voice, which travels from mumbles to full throated rage, to his sinister and almost deranged looking Elvis Presley like sneer, to his impressive body language which suggests the pose of a vulture or buzzard merged with a primate yet with the spirit of a wounded dog, Joaquin Phoenix has created a character I can say I really have not seen before and if he is not remembered at Oscar time, that would be an unforgivable cinematic crime.
To add an additional layer to the proceedings, in some ways, I found this character to be a conduit of Anderson's possible indictment of our military recruiting process and lack of post discharge support as Freddie Quell, from the very beginning of his life, is damaged goods. He arrives from a broken home and possibly abusive childhood. His sexual urges are disturbingly rampant. He is a raging alcoholic who has a tendency to create his specialized elixirs via all manner of spirits mixed with paint thinners and house cleaning liquids. He is obviously mentally ill and after his time in World War II, he is also obviously dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disease. And with all of that, he is asked to just return to the world and assimilate with no assistance or care whatsoever and furthermore, you wonder just how he was accepted into the military in the first place. All of these elements seemingly makes Quell not only a perfect candidate for Dodd's teachings and inclusion, but the ultimate challenge as well. The many verbal and psychological shiowdowns between Quell and Dodd are some of the most electrifying sequences contained within "The Master" and I could have easily seen even more than what Anderson already presented. To me, the battles and overall conflict between Quell and Dodd seemed to be not only a game of one-upsmanship (their final confrontation is one hell of a kiss off), but a struggle between Quell's Id and Dodd's Superego.
All of that being said, "The Master" kind of kept me at arms length a bit and for whatever reason, it just did not pack the same emotional wallop that I have received from some of Paul Thomas Anderson's previous efforts. Where "Boogie Nights" left me exhilarated and where "Magnolia" left me devastated and emotionally spent and where "There Will Be Blood" left my head spinning as that film spiraled into a wild delirium, "The Master," by contrast did leave me kind of cold. I do realize that while I may subscribe to the cult of Paul Thomas Anderson as a film enthusiast, I have to call 'em as I see 'em and inform you that he has made better films than this in the past and he will certainly make better films than this in the future.
But, it is no small feat that Paul Thomas Anderson was able to make "The Master" at all, especially during a time when cinematic risk taking is at a minimum and personal artistic visions are frowned upon in ways they had not been in decades past. "The Master" is definitely an achievement but how great of an achievement, I am not entirely certain just yet.
Only time, and subsequent viewings will tell...
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