Paul Thomas Anderson’s first masterpiece comes to the Barbican screen in all its sleazy glory, as part of their Cheap Thrills season.

This was the film that truly established Anderson as his generation’s auteur with a unique ability to garner the career-defining performances out of the actors he works with, and William H Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Heather Graham and Mark Wahlberg (who was probably better known as Marky Mark before this film) put in astounding performances. The result is an epic film that captures the emotional arc of the 70s, echoing Saturday Night Fever in its transition from boundless excitement to gutting tragedy. It’s got the soundtracks, the haircuts and, of course, that ending.

This one-off screening comes as part of the Barbican’s Cheap Thrills season, their celebration of all things trashy, sleazy and transgressive.