If you are looking for a clear cut crime caper that you can follow from beginning to end this really is not that film. At times hard to follow and bit ‘wacky’ it is presented perfectly if you look at it as the drug fuelled reminiscing of Doc.

Frankly I like the style and after the film started I thought I was going to settle into another Paul Thomas Anderson film but equally a frankly I have to admit that the story sagged in the middle, another to let my attention wander, before thankfully it picked up again and came to a satisfactory if not slightly confusing end.

The plotline which should be simple to follow, proves to be more difficult than you imagine and the viewer has to quickly establish whether half of the events take place in Doc’s mind or are real. Thankfully there is no definitive answer so it really is left to you.

The acting is first rate from beginning to end with Joaquin Phoenix hitting the right note as a whacked-out stoner who is not quite as whacked-out as you think, likewise Josh Brolin is note perfect as straight-laced Bigfoot but there is more to him that meets the eye too.
It is nuances like this brought to life by the actors involved that make this film a cut above others of the same type. Without the acting and Anderson at the helm this could easily have been irritating to the nth degree.

Phoenix’s portrayal of Doc actually makes him a likeable character who you invest in as he stumbles his way from situation to situation without being violent, apart from one desperate instance, stupid or horrible. He is double-crossed, treated like crap by the LAPD, but still ploughs on and the longer the film goes on the more you side with him.

Ably supported by the perfectly cast Josh Brolin and Katherine Waterson, the film also boasts a myriad of ‘star cameos’ that in other circumstances could distract or annoy you but I found them entertaining and not distracting in any way.

It is shame that the film, like so many before it and to come, is just twenty minutes to half an hour too long. The middle section drags the film down like coming down from a drug high perhaps?

Overall the story is pitched perfectly, if a little confusing at times, but it does ask questions and give you something to think about as it flip-flops along. As far as I can tell the setting of California in the 1970s has been captured perfectly by Anderson, again. The casting is strong with actors playing the roles both in broad and sometimes comic strokes but yet still imbued with believability.

If you are patient and have do not mind some meandering in your film-viewing, then this film could be for you. If you are a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson and Joaquin Phoenix then you definitely will not be disappointed.

'Inherent Vice' is the next feature film from Paul Thomas Anderson and you can tell. It boasts a great soundtrack, brilliant acting and a very convoluted story as it tells the story of a private detective (Phoenix) as he investigates into the disappearance of a former girlfriend.

The screenplay is very confusing. It is hard to follow and purposely so as it introduces many characters and multiple stories but I have heard that this aspect of the screenplay is very true to the original source material. All I could do was admit that the film was too bewildering and to enjoy the many jokes and humorous situations.

Joaquin Phoenix is tremendous as the main character Larry "Doc" Sportello. He is complimented with a great supporting cast such as Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro.

Overall, 'Inherent Vice' is not a typical popcorn flick and I was very confused by the overwhelming plot.

★★★½

I kind of feel that Anderson lends himself to a film like this. He uses a lot of extreme wide angles and if you ever smoked a little dope in college the world looks a little like when you mount that 18mm on your SLR. His choice of lenses lends itself to telling the story of a guy like Doc without going over the top ala Fear and Loathing and making it a little too blatantly FX.

The humor works in best possible dry as a martini kind of way, and it's played straight like comedy should be.

But really, the premise sold me. Take a hard boiled film noir kind of mystery and replace Sam Spade with the perpetual stoner and then watch him try to solve a mystery.

It's incoherent enough to make you believe that Doc is just a little too rocked to function properly most of the time, which is reflected in his effectiveness and decision making skills. He's smart enough to not bumble his way through it, but has gotten off the magic school bus enough to do his best possible work.

And it makes the film do that one singular thing that all movies are required to do in order to be called a success... it entertains.

And honestly it's a delight to watch. The acting was great, the director was the best possible person to take on the adaptation, and the lighting walked that fine line between naturalistic and cinematic.

I'd call it a beautiful film, but it's hard to call a movie about drugs beautiful without sounding utterly pretentious... so, I'll settle with the highest praise a movie can get... it's entertaining and a pleasure to watch.