06. Inherent Vice

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Release date: March 12, 2015

No directors has ever dared adapt one of Thomas Pynchon’s typically complex novels, but Paul Thomas Anderson is no ordinary filmmaker.

Taking on one of the writer’s comparatively lighthearted works, and reuniting with Joaquin Phoenix, the star of his extraordinary The Master, Anderson weaves together a wildly enjoyable and pulpy romp.

Phoenix delivers one of his finest comic performances as stoner private detective Larry “Doc” Sportello, who stumbles with bleary-eyes through a very complex web of drug smuggling and police corruption.

The details of the plot, set in 1970s Los Angeles, might take more than one viewing to completely string together, but the joy of the ride is what makes Inherent Vice one of the year’s best movies.

Martin Short and Owen Wilson steal the show despite their relatively short screen time.