Review: The Master

Seen twice and 4/3/15

3.5/4

The Master is Paul Thomas Anderson's endlessly interesting and original take on religion, loyalty, hedonism and power. The characters he crafts are fascinating, and the dialogue is even better. As with his other movies, when the characters speak there is some strange power in the words that cuts to the core of human nature. Anderson is fearlessly insightful--he pushes himself to write scenes which no other filmmaker is daring enough to even fathom. Example: Amy Adams performs a strange act on Philip Seymour Hoffman to evoke her womanly power that will convince him to bend to her will. Another: Joaquin Phoenix smacks his own face three times as punishment for not being able to stare down his past, and Hoffman's piggish face, without blinking. Another, evoking classic There Will Be Blood Anderson: Phoenix has a bout of violence on a customer amidst a mall of onlookers that begins abruptly and continues with such awkwardness it becomes the epitome of despicable. This writing is the meaning of 'reckless abandon' in art.
The character of Freddie Quell is extremely fascinating, despite his simplicity. Perhaps the intrigue is actually in his simplicity--it seems unbelievable that he could be so juvenile in mind and manner. It is new for Anderson, to develop a character of such low complexity. Freddie really demonstrates Lancaster Dodd's notion of man as animal--he has no ambition or conscience but to obtain animalistic pleasure and serve somebody with unbridled loyalty. He is like that dragon which Dodd teaches to sit, stay and roll over.
Lancaster Dodd is also interesting. He seems unable to accept doubt, and blows his top at any doubter or critic. He is very charismatic--he has some hypnotic power that grasps every one of his listeners and causes them to believe in everything he says. They even laugh at his smallest humor. This is not comedic to the viewer, but striking.
Both of the two main actors play their roles extremely well. Philip Seymour Hoffman is Philip Seymour Hoffman, and his character probably wasn't difficult for him to find, but Joaquin Phoenix inhabits a soul that is almost unearthly. He embodies every characteristic nuance of Freddie Quell, all the disgustingness, all the despicableness, the lip, the laugh, the walk... It is an amazing performance.
This movie is fascinating in so many ways. It is mostly Anderson's quality and originality of writing which brings unspoken truths to the forefront, and it is purely awesome. So many scenes are historically good--I consider them among the best I've ever seen on film.
As a whole, I think that this is far less perfect than There Will Be Blood. But it is also less minimalist, and more stylistic, so there is more room for error. Nevertheless, it has an extreme appeal to my mind, and I will hold it as one of my signature movies for the rest of my life.