Paul Thomas Anderson is a curious filmmaker whose films have been getting more and more dense as time rolls on. I have seen all but the auteur's first effort, Hard Eight, and what I have learned is that Mr. Anderson is a filmmaker who will take you on an experiential journey in ways few other filmmakers can. Almost every scene in his films is a little self-contained movie, underscored by a popular tune from the era it is set in or from his composers, first Jon Brion, and now Jonny Greenwood. They build to a frenzied pitch until there is a release, and the film moves on to the next scene.
Inherent Vice, Mr. Anderson's latest starring Joaquin Phoenix as a drug-addled P.I. in Los Angeles circa 1970, is another experiential trip. Much like The Big Sleep, the film contains a central mystery that is hard to follow and ultimately resolves in an unsatisfying way. And Mr. Phoenix's character, Doc, is like Philip Marlowe if he smoked pot constantly instead of drinking.
The film opens with Doc's former lover, Shasta (Katherine Waterston), asking for his help because a rich land-developer is about to go missing. And sure enough, the person in question and Shasta herself inexplicably disappear, leading Doc down dark, twisted, baffling, and fascinating path that unveils a corruption scheme I couldn't even begin to explain.
But the film is not about the plot. The plot is merely set dressing that allows Doc to have run-ins with a variety of colorful, outrageous characters, including Jena Malone as a recovering heroin addict, Owen Wilson as her missing husband, and Martin Short in the first performance of his I've seen that was almost perfect. He's hilarious, and only around for a short time.
Few people utilize a soundtrack as well as Mr. Anderson, who blends pop and score into the background so effortlessly that it would be hard to imagine the scenes without them. It's a technique he's been practicing throughout most of his movies (save the more quiet There Will Be Blood), one he began perfecting in Magnolia.
Shot on 70mm by Robert Elswit (a frequent collaborator with Mr. Anderson), this is another unique presentation by Warner Bros, who just last month rolled out Interstellar into IMAX theaters, specially exhibited in the format. It's almost promising to me that Warner is doing this; it seems to represent a shift away from the distracting, dim 3D that dominated so many studio releases these past few years. 70mm is an experience, and to see a film exhibited in that format is a delight. It's a premium I'm willing to pay for.
I saw the film at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, which I only make special mention of because this was my first time in 3 years of living in Los Angeles to visit the screen. And, perhaps I was in the wrong seat or there needs to be more people, but Inherent Vice's already confusing plot was not helped by the fact that the sound echoed around the room. It was not clear, pristine sound, and though my investigations online have lead me to believe this is not usually the case, it made the dialogue almost incomprehensible.
So ultimately, I'm unsure how much I enjoyed this film. It certainly takes you on a journey, and I enjoyed said journey, but in the end I left the screen and much of what I saw began to slip away. Maybe I've just seen too many movies at this point and space is running out of my head; for what it is, though, Inherent Vice is worth the trip.
