Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, 15, 2007

Stars: Daniel Day Lewis. Paul Dano, Dillon Freasier

Rental DVD, retail DVD/Blu-ray

When you are known for self-written, flashily photographed ensemble blow-outs, it’s a gamble to make a soberly composed adaptation that rests on the shoulders of one actor. But Anderson’s roll of the dice paid off with a film that’s both subdued and explosive, swirling around a cinematic black hole in the form of Day Lewis’s monstrous oil prospector.

Set in turn-of-the-century California, it is a period piece with an avant-garde brain – John Huston is a touchstone but the experimental score is by Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood. With such colourful influences, some in-depth extras would have been nice, but all we get is a slide show comparing the sets with photographs from the era. A special edition, also out this week, promises more.

DVD extras

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