It took me long enough, especially considering how big a fan of his filmography I am, but I finally got around to watching the feature debut written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, expanding his short, "Cigarettes & Coffee", from a few years earlier. A lot of things feel in place here that would recur throughout the next few decades, but it's also clear that the director is working on a smaller scale than he would prefer.
Philip Baker Hall plays Sydney Brown, a well-dressed and very polite man who decides to one day help a broke and broken man named John Finnegan (John C. Reilly). He doesn't just help him though. He, metaphorically speaking, teaches him to fish, showing him how to make his way safely and profitably through the waters of Las Vegas casinos. Things go well for a long time, but a situation develops when John falls for a cocktail waitress named Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow). And when things start getting risky, that's when Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson) sees his chance to profit from the situation.
There's not much to discuss here when it comes to the plot and the characters. Everything is constructed well, Hall and Reilly are as watchable and captivating here as they have been in any other film roles, and the air of predictability is offset by the earliest scenes setting everything up as a tale more about people looking for ways to pay things forward than get some kind of payback.
While I think a number of the main cast members have done better work elsewhere, there's nothing to criticise in the performances of Reilly, Paltrow, or Jackson. There are also small moments for Philip Seymour Hoffman (stealing a scene, but not given enough time to steal the entire movie) and Melora Walters. Hall absolutely owns every minute of the runtime though. It would be a bit short-sighted, considering the near-200 roles he had in his decades-spanning career, to nominate this as his best ever performance, but I'm still tempted. If it's not the clear winner then it's pretty damn close.
The small cast, the way certain shots are framed, and the economy of the whole thing signify that it's a debut feature, but the confidence and ambition, as well as the main players, help it to feel like a well-made work of art helmed by someone already paving his way to even bigger and better things. This could have easily been a slight bit of entertainment, and it could have leaned more into the expected stereotypes and tropes of the gambling movie. The fact that it still feels so impressive and effective is all down to Anderson being one of the most brilliant and naturally-gifted directorial talents in modern cinema. You could say that it was clear from the very beginning that he had multiple aces up his sleeves.
8/10
If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do
consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A
subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share
No comments:
Post a Comment