California in the 1960s must have been an amazing place to live. Free love, the music, the drugs, along with the Vietnam protests, political uncertainty and a sense of flower power. Alas that was short lived and turned dark as the 70s came along. Now if you can imagine a film noir detective mystery taking place during this period of transition then you are on the right lines for Inherent Vice, and are in for a treat.
Writer, director, and producer Paul Thomas Anderson has delivered some real gems over the years. His 1997 breakthrough Boogie Nights is a multi-layered look into the 1970s porn industry. His 2007 classic There Will be Blood is a fascinating character study into greed and power.
He’s a bit of an auteur and regularly uses the same team, but in essence he has made some great films that hook you and let you experience some fully realised worlds and characters.
Inherent Vice is a mash up comedy film noir which takes place in 1970 based on Thomas Pynchon. To put it simply it’s the story of private detective Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) is trying to track down his former girlfriend and femme fatale Shasta (Katherine Waterston). To elaborate a bit more he is a doper’ who loves his weed and as an audience we are taken through his foggy headed journey to find her, which involves neo Nazi bikers, a powerful real estate developer, a hard assed detective, the FBI, a scene stealing dentist and a host of other wonderful characters playing all sides with Doc stuck in the middle.
I thought this film was great and hilarious from start to finish. Anderson and his team have done a great job of not only creating a fully visceral world but also a feeling of California which can be best described as colourful, naively safe and overall groovy.
The costumes and set design are fantastic and really help build the characters and the world. From the apartments to the police headquarters it is a fully immersive environment that sucks you in. The costumes suit each character and mood; unsurprisingly this film has been Oscar nominated for costume design and I hope it wins.
The cast have been well selected for their roles and this is a great ensemble. Josh Brolin’s Lt. Det. Christian F. “Bigfoot” Bjornsen is a stern renaissance detective’ who hates hippies and is perfectly introduced. Early on his path crosses with Doc but it’s not what you expect and they share some great moments together throughout.
Benicio Del Toro is brief yet memorable as Doc’s marine’ lawyer Sauncho Smilax, Esq and has a memorably hilarious car journey with him. I’m not going to delve into Owen Wilson’s character but his laid back yet confused demeanour fits in well with the bohemian 70’s setting.
I have never seen Katherine Waterston before and she is great as Shasta, Doc’s ex who’s been involved with the wrong people and brings Doc into the mix. She looks young and slightly naive and I initially thought it was odd having her play the much younger girlfriend, however on research she is 34, not much younger than Phoenix. She’s mysterious and fantastic in this and I hope this is her breakout role and that we see her in many more films to come.
However the star of the show is Joaquin Phoenix and this is one of his iconic performances. He channels the stoner hippy vibe perfectly as Doc, a man who’s well connected and liked within his community. I can’t see a better actor for this role and he has great comedic timing and is skilled at conveying the character’s paranoia.
You can tell that the whole cast had tremendous fun making this and they are all thankfully one step behind reaching full pantomime.
The film is based on Thomas Pynchon’s 2009 novel and Anderson has done a fantastic job at adapting the screenplay to cerate this psychedelic surf noir. Pretty much all of the dialogue is witty, sharp, surreal and well written with a lot of social commentary. Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood once again scores this film and does a great job aiding the mood. I was expecting an all-out now that’s what I call the 60’s’ soundtrack but the film is better off without it.
Anderson’s regular and Oscar winning cinematographer Robert Elswit result and as expected most shots look like a photograph with bold colours that add a surreal quality to the film. There aren’t many cutaways and some shots (especially expositions) are held unbroken for minutes at a time, fixing the audiences’ gaze despite the fact there is often a lot going on in the background.
It would be easy to chuck this film into the stoner comedy category, but thankfully it doesn’t use many of the now stereotypical generic traits and sets itself apart in an altogether different league.
The best comparisons would be either The Big Lebowski (1998) or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), and both those films make good companion pieces. It is also reminiscent of Chinatown (1974) although a lot lighter.
One criticism I did find was that the film was hard to follow. I think this was intentional to show Doc’s cloudy mind as he tries to unravel the mystery, but I missed a few lines of dialogue and couldn’t partake in the fun of solving it myself. That being said I was engrossed and along for the ride, which was a fun experience. I would like to see it again and hope that a second viewing will shed more light on its structure and the disintegration of The Age of Aquarius’ hippy era into corporate takeover.
This is a film that really has to be seen. It’s a great comedy and I didn’t want to give away too much with this review. I will say that it is likely to appeal to a wide demographic and is entertaining from start to finish.
I often find that many great films are composed of the right ingredients and if one or more are out then it just doesn’t work. This one has the right mix and I eagerly anticipate seeing what Anderson delivers next.
Overall Verdict: A hilariously clever and groovy mystery. Thoroughly entertaining and engrossing with some fantastic performances and memorable scenes. Well worth the trip’.
Reviewer: George Elcombe