This new drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (who also wrote the screenplay based on the book, "Vineland" by Thomas Pynchon), is just terrific. The cast is perfection. The script is original and so relevant to the country we are living in today. And Mr. Anderson's direction could not be better, bringing out the best in his cast, his eye for detail and even his trust in the audience.
The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as "Bob", a member of the far-left revolutionary group, The French 75 who, along with his partner, "Perfidia" played by Teyana Taylor wreck havoc on the establishment. Shortly into the film, the story jumps 16 years and Bob is now a burned out stoner, and paranoid ex- revolutionary raising his teenage daughter, Willa, played by Chase Infiniti. The film also stars Regina Hall as Deandra, Benicio del Toro as Sergio St. Carlos, and Sean Penn as Col. Steven Lockjaw. As I mentioned, the cast is perfection but in particular, Sean Penn is just sensational as Col. Lockjaw disappearing completely into the character of an obsessed military man.
Mr. Anderson's script touches lots of hot buttons and while serious in nature, still contains flashes of humor. There are many exciting sequences including not one but two unique car scenes, one a getaway and the other a chase. His trust in the viewer is never more obvious when he makes the conscious decision to shoot a scene in Spanish without subtitles. He has us engaged from the start and while the film runs almost three hours it never feels too long or bloated.
This is an easily one of Mr. Anderson's most entertaing films and should rack up many Oscar nominations.