A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader.
This may be less flamboyant than some of Anderson’s previous films but when it comes to complex, confounding drama he stands assuredly amongst the masters.
The Master, is another sweeping perambulation, a boldly ambitious piece of filmmaking that is brilliantly acted, weirdly compelling and chewier than octopus jerky.
There's so much to adore here.
Confounding and intoxicating. A technically flawless work of oceanic depth that hits you in waves of emotional resonance.
A glorious movie.
The Master is a supremely confident work from a unique film-maker, just so different from the standard Hollywood output: audacious and unmissable.
I suspect it may be too odd for the Oscars, but it’s the finest American film of the year.
I never felt my admiration of Anderson flag, and The Master will perhaps in time slot neatly into his remarkable career pattern. But I have to admit that I didn't wish it a minute longer.
There will be boredom.
The Master is beautifully shot with burnished visions of post-war America and a terrific, staccato musical score from Jonny Greenwood.
An often brilliant ’50s-throwback character drama that never feels nostalgic, with terrific central performances and a luminous, unforgettable visual beauty.
The Master is one of those rare films that tells us to go away and think, and dream … then, when you're ready, come back and start again.
A movie that yearns to be great, but really isn't. A movie that is so long-winded, it could graze the hem of the irredeemably prolix L Ron Hubbard himself.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s sort-of satire on Scientology misses the mark, with opaque, meaningless scenes passing for profundity.
Master of all he portrays, that's Anderson.
While the film is ultimately about manipulating the suggestible, like Hoffman’s questionable rhetoric, the delivery’s captivating but there’s little substance to grasp.
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Interview: Paul Thomas Anderson on The Master, Scientology and controversy
Philip Seymour Hoffman: Interview
Masterclass from Phoenix as an Oscar beckons
Dominion, Edinburgh from Friday November 2, 2012, until Thursday December 20, 2012. More info: http://www.dominioncinemas.net
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