Review of Inherent Vice (2014) by Karl M — 18 Oct 2016

A delirious multi-textured multi-character multi-plot film that revolves around drug-fuelled private investigator Larry 'Doc' Sportello in 1970s Los Angeles. This film is a unique blend of neo-noir, crime, comedy and drama making it a film that is hard to predict, hard to follow and surprising from start to finish.

It's logic is hard to follow and as a viewer you become more engaged in the main character's emotions and his spiritual journey than the narrative structure of the film. The Plot is deliberately disjointed which may loose some audience members, but it's worth sticking around for the performances of the cast, the engaging cinematography and Paul Thomas Anderson's direction.

Paul Thomas Anderson creates a thought-provoking and mesmerizing film with a distinctive atmosphere created through themes of paranoia and escapism. What stands out for me is the impressive dialogue and how it flows naturally with each conversation. Great writing, great direction and great performances from the main cast. In addition to this, Inherent Vice shows off a wide range of successful shots featuring a 'slow zoom' which makes each scene it's diploid in feel more personal, almost like you're there involved in the conversation yourself.

It's a film left open to interpretation and my understanding is that it is a film about the emotions of the main character, not the events that occur and it's a film that's meant to be experienced, not understood.