Christa Päffgen is backstage waiting to go out and perform a few jazz standards (an obligation fulfilled smacked out of her head) and is speaking with her club owner manager, Richard, putting the finishing touches to her make-up. She asks Richard if she looks ugly, to which he replies tongue-in-cheek, "yeah, really". She confidently responds, "Good, I wasn’t happy when I was beautiful". The moment perfectly describes Nico's descent from Andy Warhol muse and 60s avant grade rock 'n' roll…

There is Daniel Day Lewis' performance, a standard which has become almost ludicrously normal for the man now. Paul Thomas Anderson's assured writing and direction instils an epic feel within the stripped down surroundings. Then there is the music. The score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood will be the first thing that coats you in the thickness of the black atmosphere.

Greenwood's compositional skills have developed over the arc of Radiohead's career, pushed forward after the group dropped their guitars post…

How do you ever begin to top a directorial debut such as this? Well Sidney Lumet certainly gave it is best shot over the years that followed creating an enviable filmography packed with cinematic gems. That he can turn a simplistic set-up of twelve men stuck together in a steaming hot room, into such a in-depth social, intellectual and thrilling 90 minutes speaks volumes for the man.

What does remain a mystery is how the creator of the screenplay Reginald…