Inherent Vice

Reading Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel before seeing this film really gave me a better understanding of the forces that are in play in the story. That doesn't mean that Paul Thomas Anderson's latest undertaking is at all confusing, rather it is a much more streamlined comprehensible adaptation of the novel that cuts through a lot of confusing tangents that are cut straight from a drugged up hippie's head.

Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) is a private investigator operating out of Gordita Beach in LA. One night, his ex-girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston) appears out of nowhere to tell him of a plot to kidnap her current boyfriend, millionaire real estate developer Mickey Wolfmann (Eric Roberts). Doc is soon drawn into a complex web of conspiracies that involve a supposedly dead saxophone player Coy Harlingen (Owen Wilson), a rough police lieutenant Bigfoot Bjornsen (Josh Brolin) and the mysterious Golden Fang.

Paul Thomas Anderson is really a master with his camera work and all his usuals come into play. He is not one to shy away from long shots, but the one in this one is different. Normally his long takes rely on big choreographed movements as the camera flows from room to room and follows various characters. In Inherent Vice, he instead has a quite static long take that includes an eight minute monologue from Katherine Waterston that ends a little abruptly. There is one scene that stood out for me in particular that was a dialogue between Doc and a client that is done entirely in low angle close-ups with no establishing shot.

This film is littered with some great comedic moments, whether this be Doc's propensity to throw himself around like a rag doll or the fact that Denis (pronounced Dee-nis) can't drive. Being set in the early 70s, there are a lot of jokes about hippie culture and paranoia. Martin Short's dentist character Dr Rudy Blatnoyd is great fun for this, as he openly condemns hippies whilst partaking in illicit substances at the same time and getting everybody paranoid in the process.

Joaquin Phoenix is super fun as Doc. He seems to be channeling the character from the book with a dash of The Dude thrown for good measure. His love for Shasta knows no bounds, despite it being a very destructive relationship. Johanna Newsom plays his spirit guide Sortilège, although it's not quite clear if she exists in the physical world. Josh Brolin gives incredible depth to Bigfoot, a scary pancake loving giant. Owen Wilson acts as the whole lynchpin to the story and has an immense presence, despite appearing in a handful of scenes. Katherine Waterston is just amazing as Shasta and you will grow to love her as Doc does. I think everyone will agree that the movie does need more Benecio Del Toro, playing Doc's attorney Sauncho Smilax, Esq., and a crazy Eric Roberts whose couple of mumbled lines are just hilarious.

This hippy comedy/mystery is masterfully shot and acted. Anderson has been faithful to the source material and made what I like to call a pure adaptation; capturing the essence of the source without using everything that is there. Some great acting all round, particularly from Phoenix and Brolin. Beware the Golden Fang.

Classic Movie Review: The United States of Leland (2003)

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Ryan Gosling, although considering that everyone else on the planet likes him, it isn't that strange. Now it occurs to me that he goes after either rom-com roles (Crazy, Stupid, Love or The Notebook) or darkly disturbed characters in independent films (Lars and the Real Girl or Blue Valentine). In this film however, he plays a character that's different to the rest (and I don't mean because he has brown hair).

The film chronicles the events leading up to and after the murder of a mentally disabled boy by Leland P. Fitzgerald (Gosling) and the effects that it has on the people who were close to either Leland or the boy, like Leland's ex-girlfriend and the boy's sister, Becky (Jena Malone), or Leland's teacher in prison, Pearl (Don Cheadle).

The family of the boy all try to escape their grief. Julie (Michelle Williams) and her boyfriend Alan (Chris Klein), try to focus on their future at university, but this puts a strain on their relationship. Becky turns to heroin, to which she gets addicted. Leland's own father, Arthur (Kevin Spacey), is an author who tries to come to terms with the fact that his absence from his son's life could have been a motivating factor for Leland. Meanwhile, Pearl, who is an aspiring writer, tries to write a novel about Leland, but is hampered at every turn by his work.

This role is very different to anything that Gosling has played before. He is detached from the world and although his character in Drive (2011) was similarly detached, here there is a certain naivety and innocence in the character.

Don Cheadle is excellent as Pearl, who tries to coax the truth out of Leland, so that he can understand the teenager's motivations. And also, as always, Kevin Spacey plays a role that is cold and calculating, not to unlike John Doe in Se7en or Roger Kint in The Usual Suspects.

Verdict: A real landmark film that I think everyone should see before they die. It is an interesting look at perceptions of life and right and wrong.