It's a grower

Inherent Vice (15)
Running time 1hr 48min
Rating: ****
WHAT is Inherent Vice exactly? Paul Thomas Anderson’s big screen version of the Thomas Pynchon novel defies
categorisation. But why do we want to pigeon hole it anyway? In the age of the formulaic Hollywood blockbuster, it’s a treat to go into something not knowing what to expect, and to come out of it not knowing what you’ve just watched. Part film noir, part crime caper, part stoner comedy, part murky underworld thriller, part farce – and a whole lot more besides – Inherent Vice is an experience like very little else you’ll sit through this year. A portrait of a weed-smoking Californian private investigator operating at a time when America is reeling from Vietnam and the Charles Manson murders, the film’s action unfolds through a dopey haze. It’s as if there’s a virtual smoke machine at work, creating billowing plumes that give a soft-focus glaze to events. Characters are intoxicated and intoxicating, and Joaquin Phoenix plays it like he’s been there, done that… and is still doing it. The story is involved, in true noir style, and likes to surprise its audience as it meanders down avenues that may at first confound but ultimately add to the film’s rich tapestry. We follow Doc (Phoenix) as he investigates the sudden disappearance of an ex-girlfriend. Wrapped up in a plot concerning a rich businessman and his wife’s plan to commit him to an institution, Shasta (Katherine Waterson) leaves a hot trail for him to go on. As Doc digs deeper and deeper, he uncovers more than he bargained for, including an unconventional detective (Josh Brolin) and a dentist (Martin Short) embroiled in a huge drug trafficking operation. Stylistically sleazy, Inherent Vice depicts 70s-era California as precisely that – a place where vice is intrinsic. Enshrouded in a tangible miasma of iniquity, the film is a sensory trip – but it’s also a smart satire that sends up mainstream movies. Recalling the farcical The Men Who Stare at Goats, a first viewing of Inherent Vice may confuscate and wrongfoot. It may even disappoint. But the performances will keep you glued, and its mood will get under your skin and into your bones; you’ll be thinking about it for days afterwards. Inherent Vice is a grower – and a potential future classic.