As long as a year before it finally hit screens, the buzz surrounding Paul Thomas Anderson's sixth movie,
The Master, was that it would be a veiled expose/attack on Scientology, but the film itself turns out to be far less interested in any specific cult or religion than in exploring mankind's eternal struggle between faith and skepticism.
Joaquin Phoenix stars as Freddie Quell, a shell-shocked WWII vet prone to violent outbursts, who spends most of his time looking for sex, drifting from job to job, and making remarkably potent moonshine from seemingly whatever material he has on hand. All the while, his rage is brimming just under the surface, ready t...
Released:
2012
Rated:
R
Length:
138 mins