Product Details

• Rating: R (Restricted)

Amazon.com
Unmistakably a shot at greatness, Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood succeeds in wild, explosive ways. The film digs into nothing less than the sources of peculiarly American kinds of ambition, corruption, and industry--and makes exhilarating cinema from it all. Although inspired by Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!, Anderson has crafted his own take on the material, focusing on a black-eyed, self-made oilman named Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), whose voracious appetite for oil turns him into a California tycoon in the early years of the 20th century. The early reels are a mesmerizing look at the getting of oil from the ground, an intensely physical process that later broadens into Plainview's equally indomitable urge to control land and power. Curious, diverting episodes accumulate during Plainview's rise: a mighty derrick fire (a bravura opportunity that Anderson, with the aid of cinematographer Robert Elswit, does not fail to meet), a visit from a long-lost brother (Kevin J. O'Connor), the ongoing involvement of Plainview's poker-faced adoptive son (Dillon Freasier). As the film progresses, it gravitates toward Plainview's rivalry with the local representative of God, a preacher named Eli Sunday (brimstone-spitting Paul Dano); religion and capitalism are thus presented not so much as opposing forces but as two sides of the same coin. And the worm in the apple here is less man's greed than his vanity. Anderson's offbeat take on all this--exemplified by the astonishing musical score by Jonny Greenwood--occasionally threatens to break the film apart, but even when it founders, it excites. As for Daniel Day-Lewis, his performance is Olivier-like in its grand scope and its attention to details of behavior; Plainview speaks in the rum-rich voice of John Huston, and squints with the wariness of Walter Huston. It's a fearsome performance, and the engine behind the film's relentless power. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

There will be blood - but slowly; oh so slowly
This was a movie that never seemed to end and never really seemed to go anywhere. Daniel Day Lewis was, of course, fantastic in his role which I found similar to the one he played in Gangs of New York (basically, a truly and completely evil man). However, TWBB lacked the supporting cast and the constantly moving plot of GoNY. TWBB was a very slow movie that felt much longer that its 2 hr 40 min run time. Unless you want to be bored into a hypnotic trance, I suggest you avoid this film.

There will be Blood
Another boaring movie, which had a bad ending and typically poor plot.
I expected much more and got much less

Another Unidentifiable, Pointless Film from PTA. But This One is Entertaining.
"There Will Be Blood" is Paul Thomas Anderson's loose interpretation of Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel "Oil!". In this version, prospector Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis) sets out to become an oil magnate in turn-of-the-century California. He aggressively obtains drilling rights from landowners under somewhat dubious terms and pays them a royalty. In 1911, a man from the town of New Boston sells Daniel information about oil on his family ranch. With his young son H.W. (Dillon Freasier), Daniel sets out to buy all the land he can get in New Boston before his competitors do. But his promises to bring prosperity to the town must compete with charismatic local religious demagogue Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) for the hearts and souls of the citizens.

"There Will Be Blood" is entertaining for about two-thirds of its 2 hour 38 minute run time. We spend the first 15 minutes watching Daniel prospect for silver and oil, to give you some idea of the pace. The story is not in any way realistic beyond the naturalistic production design, and the last third goes too far over the top to sustain credibility. As is typical of Paul Thomas Anderson, who wrote as well as directed this film, it's not clear just what the film is supposed to be. Every scene unfolds with gravity, but the endless power struggle between Daniel and Eli is black comedy. Daniel Day Lewis' Oscar-winning performance is not realistic, but rather an affected acting style that is suited to the film's dark humor and implausible behavior.

We seem to have a black comedy, a character study that is hardly believable, presented as epic drama. It makes very little sense. Daniel Day Lewis' histrionics must carry the entire film. And they do. Daniel Plainview believes in single-minded ambition for its own sake, and his venom is something to see. The conflict with Eli Sunday is perversely amusing. And young H.W., buffeted about by his father's goals, evokes the audience's sympathy. Mind you, they are in a plot whose parts do not coalesce. And beyond the director's low opinion of oilmen and preachers, there is no point, and for a while I thought there would be no end. But most of it is entertaining, so this is a big improvement as Paul Thomas Anderson's films go.