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Review: What a strange, astonishing movie. Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” is the best he’s ever made. The first shot sets the tone. We see a harsh, beautiful landscape and hear a rush of strings that grow increasingly loud and discordant. Such a shot, I think, is intended to make the audience ill-at-ease. Like the rest of the movie, the introduction is beautiful yet unnerving.
“There Will Be Blood” tells the story of Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), a misanthropic oil man who desires nothing but success. Money seems almost incidental – Plainview instead wants to ensure that others fail. With the exception of a few guttural phrases, the movie’s first 15 minutes are completely without dialog. We instead watch Plainview and others silently toil underground, and get a sense of Plainview’s unwavering will. Eventually a freak accident kills one of his workers, so Plainview takes care of his son, raising him as one of his own.
The majority of the movie revolves takes place in 1911. Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) informs Plainview that his family has oil just below the surface of the land. Plainview visits the spot, begins drilling for oil, and eventually sets up a pipeline to the coast. Along the way, he encounters several hurdles and finds an adversary in Paul’s twin brother, Eli. The two men prove to be equally devious, humiliating one another in ways that are both cruel and weirdly funny.
Without exception, the performances are flawless. Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance is fascinating. Even when charming land-owners, we see the hatred simmering beneath. As Plainview interacts with people, we watch his face contort with pain and loathing, attacking those around him verbally and sometimes physically. Paul Dano, who I thought gave a decent performance in “Little Miss Sunshine,” does a great job here. His character is a preacher, and Dano does a good job of presenting a faux-pious façade. Even Dillon Feasier, who portrays Plainview’s son, shows depth with his surprisingly adult expressions.
Like his previous work, Anderson’s movie has virtuouso camerawork, and characters that can be both loathsome and sympathetic. Some sequences in particular, such as Plainview’s response to a derrick fire, are completely stunning. Anderson has always oozed talent, but his previous movies are unlike “There Will Be Blood.” His previous movies “Boogie Nights” and “Mangolia” are sprawling and seem over-flowing with ideas, but this one demonstrates a consistent mastery of tone and pace. The movie is a crescendo of tension. “There Will Be Blood” also has richer thematic content. Through the arc of Daniel Plainview, Anderson examines issues of capitalism vs. family, and the shortcomings of rigid individuality. Through the arc of Eli Sunday, Anderson examines issues of church vs. capitalism, as well as the duplicitous nature of religious figures.
All the tension and character development culminates in the final scene. The acting is mercilessly intense. The scene ends with such fury that many critics describe it as over-the-top, but I think it’s perfectly in-step with the rest of the movie. It’s both thematically and character driven. As we watch Sunday and Plainview interact, we see the clash of their natures, of religion and individualism, and of how overwhelming greed distorts all. Don't miss it.
