Movie reviews: Inherent Vice, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Big Hero

Set in LA in 1970, and adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s cult novel, Inherent Vice (16s) revolves around private eye Doc Sportello’s (Joaquin Phoenix) investigation into the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, Shasta Fay Hepworth (Katherine Waterston).

Aided and abetted by the hippy-hating LAPD detective Christian Bjornsen (Josh Brolin), Doc uncovers a plot to kidnap billionaire real-estate tycoon Michael Wolfmann (Eric Roberts), although that narrative strand is as much a McGuffin as was the missing carpet in The Big Lebowski, a movie to which Inherent Vice, and Doc Sportello’s hapless investigator in particular, owe a considerable debt.