Ranking The Films Of Paul Thomas Anderson From Worst To Best

Five out of Paul Thomas Anderson's eight films have featured legendary character actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and The Master was their last collaboration before Hoffman tragically died in 2014. It is also Hoffman's largest role in a PTA film and he was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Lancaster Dodd, a charismatic cult leader who enthrals a violent and impressionable Freddy Quill (an also Oscar nominated Joaquin Phoenix) into joining his flock.

The film takes some strong inspiration from Scientology and is deftly written to expose social leaders that convince vulnerable people to follow them in some exceptional scenes. That being said, this film belongs to Phoenix and Hoffman who both dominate the film whenever they're on screen. Especially when they're sparring with each other.

Hoffman is electric when speaking to his followers but the real joy comes from when he has to answer questions from his sceptics. His frustration at someone questioning him is plastered across his face and it's a masterful portrayal of a man with a fragile ego.

Phoenix on the other hand is an animalistic presence who only thinks about sex and violence. A highlight is watching him lose control and smash his head and body into everything he can find in his prison cell. The Master has two of the greatest performances of all time.