Player Affinity:

The Master juxtaposes man at his most calculating and intellectual (a charismatic and commanding philosopher and semi-religious figurehead played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) with man at his most animalistic and unpredictable (a World War II naval veteran suffering from alcoholism and PTSD played by Joaquin Phoenix). Lancaster Dodd and Freddie Quell, respectively, seek each other for different reasons, and their combination produces the reaction that Anderson wished to capture with this film. (Cinema, The Master) 8/10