Boogie Nights

With Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson cements his reputation as one of the most gifted filmmakers of his generation – as the movie comes off as dazzling and utterly hypnotic piece of work that generally holds one’s interest for the duration of its 156-minute running time. The film, which follows the trials and tribulations of an extended network of porn purveyors, including neophyte Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg), father figure Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), and wide-eyed seductress Rollergirl (Heather Graham), admittedly does suffer from a midsection that drags in parts, with Anderson’s emphasis on the drug-related mishaps of the various characters lending the proceedings an intermittently repetitious sort of vibe. The film recovers magnificently with a haunting and downright mesmerizing stretch in which several key figures hit rock bottom, and there’s little doubt that the third act’s protracted drug-deal-gone-bad scene justifiably remains one of the most indelible cinematic sequences of the ’90s. This is in addition to the uniformly superb performances, Robert Elswit’s captivating cinematography, and Michael Penn’s evocative score; such elements, contained within Anderson’s flawless directorial choices, effectively ensure that Boogie Nights rarely comes off as anything less than a seriously impressive and flat-out engrossing sophomore effort.

***1/2 out of ****