4. The Master (2012)
Paul Thomas Anderson's latest feature has had a polarised reaction. Some (like me) love it and thought it was the best movie of 2012. Some, however found the film boring, too ambiguous and inconclusive. It's a movie about a lot of things and lot of tough subjects in a manner and narrative style that is uncommon. At the heart of the movie is two mighty performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Joaquin twists and mutates as his character struggles and fights with anger and sexual urges. And Hoffman's titular character is a charismatic showman who is impossible to ignore - he was born to lead and knows it. The Master, like all Anderson films is psychologically absorbing and for this film, there was more expected of him than ever before. The truly special director gave us a special film that transcends comparison. Without introduction, we are thrown into the totality of Joaquin Phoenix's Freddie Quell - his pain, anguish and confusion is revealed to us immediately. He is a troubled alcoholic, gaunt and haunted in his face desperately in need of guidance and companionship. Phoenix elevates himself to the level of a young De Niro, he is genuinely that great and compelling. Anderson's films often exist in a world of dysfunction and none more than The Master. It looks like '50s America, but it is never explicitly stated and much of the film exists in the entrapped world of The Cause - controlled by Philip Seymour Hoffman's Lancaster Dodd and his wife Peggy, who is played beautifully by the always sensational Amy Adams. Adams is omnipresent, always in the background, ready to leap to her husbands defence whenever necessary and her extraordinary contribution to this film has been grossly overlooked. Anderson's unique character study is flawlessly audacious and it is the best crafted film since his own There Will Be Blood. An unmissable piece of art, born from pure innovation and it is truly spellbinding.