Movie Review: The Master

The Master

By Jeremy Cooper
Layout Editor


Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams

Synopsis: Freddie Quell (Phoenix), a mentally unstable WWII veteran has become an aimless drifter following the war. By chance, he comes across an enigmatic religious cult called The Cause (loosely based on Scientology), led by the charismatic Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman), known as The Master. Dodd takes Freddie under his wing under the pretense of using his belief system to help Freddie. However, as The Cause’s following becomes larger and more widespread, Freddie finds himself questioning The Master, who is almost certainly a fraud with a larger-than-life ego.

Review: This film is a lot to take in. It doesn’t have a straightforward narrative, it grows increasingly ambiguous towards the end, and there are a lot of themes and questions to think about. I don’t consider this criticism, merely observation. Many people won’t like this film for these reasons, and I can understand why. Sometimes the film may seem aimless or unfocused, though that is largely because the main character is aimless and unfocused, and we follow him from that perspective. However, there are so many good things about this movie that it largely overcomes these flaws. The performances in this film are unbelievable. Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman give the best performances of their careers, and I honestly can’t decide which of them is better. I don’t think any other performance this year, or even for the next several years, is going to top either one of these actors. Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson continues to grow as an auteur, showcasing some masterful direction and writing that is dense in characterizations, themes, and ideas. It is quite unlike any film that I have ever seen, and watching it has been a wholly engrossing experience. Ultimately, while I think the overall film is superb, I don’t think it’s as good as Anderson’s previous films There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights. Though, who knows, maybe it will grow on me even more in time.

Consensus: The Master is the rare thing: a truly original film. Led by two brilliant, career-best performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, as well as some impeccable direction by Paul Thomas Anderson, it may well become a classic within time. This is a movie that will strongly divide audiences, but lovers of cinema will see to it that The Master lives on forever.

Rating: 9 out of 10