10 Complex Movies You Really Weren't Prepared For

On paper, Inherent Vice looked set to be a cool and clever neo-noir in the vein of The Long Goodbye. What audiences got instead is a movie that practically languishes, as though perpetually stoned, in its own crazed complexity.

The plot here features Joaquin Phoenix's Doc Sportello, who is tasked with investigating a series of interconnected cases in 1970s Los Angeles. The problem is that it's Doc who's our guide, and in an attempt to recreate his experience, the film flits from one scene to the next, rambling, channeling his drug-addled brain.

Put simply, Inherent Vice is baffling. It's a film that manages to thrill and infuriate in equal measure. It's almost as though director Paul Thomas Anderson set out to create a mystery movie where the mystery itself is never clear. Those familiar with the source material might have been better prepared for the incomprehension of this adaptation, though - even with added context - it remains a toughie.

Despite its flaws (are they flaws?), Inherent Vice is still highly watchable, thanks to some great performances - Katherine Waterston is particularly mesmeric - and a freewheeling tone that brilliantly captures the spirit of the film's hazy setting.