There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Written by Upton Sinclair (Novel: "Oil!") and Paul Thomas Anderson (Screenplay)

"I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed."

That line stuck out to me more than any other over the course of this two hour and forty minute film and I believe it's stuck with everyone else who has seen it. It was one of the final lines in the trailer and explains almost everything you need to know about the main character. Tonight's movie is There Will Be blood, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day Lewis, Dillon Freasier, Paul Dano and Kevin J. O'Connor. I have found this review hard to write because there is so much I want to say about it but I also want to avoid spoilers as much as possible because I feel like going into this movie blind is the best way to experience it. Therefore I've divided this review into two sections, the first being a normal review that will stay away from spoilers and won't go too in depth but will still convey my opinion of it. The second part will be a later post where I will analyze parts of the movie and is intended for those who have already seen it or those who don't care about spoilers.

The film follows Daniel Plainview (Day Lewis), a capitalistic oil baron in turn-of-the-century California.  He learns from a young man of the town of Little Boston with vast reserves of oil that have yet to be drilled and he takes his crew and his son H.W. (Freasier) to begin drilling there and the film shows Daniel as he deals with the difficulties and dangers of drilling and his struggles with the local pastor, Brother Eli (Dano). After the derrick goes up he begins working on a pipeline and meets his half brother Henry (O'Connor) who he never knew existed.

The story is fairly basic when you take it by itself, there aren't many twists or turns. Instead of a historical drama detailing the rise of the giant oil companies like Standard Oil in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries this is a character study of it's main character Daniel and his cutthroat nature. Now understand that when I say the story is basic that doesn't mean that it's bad, far from it. The character of Daniel is endlessly fascinating and I doubt they could have added anything more to the story without ballooning the runtime well past the three hour mark.

Daniel is deep and complex and enjoys the kind of great character development that all great villains get; greedy, cruel and angry are all adjectives that can be applied to him but along with those you can add driven, hardworking and determined. In his first scene we watch as he breaks his leg and drags himself over what must be miles of desert just to sell a chunk of silver he dug and this shows us his nature, succeed at all costs and it endears us to him. This is a man who wants success and won't let any obstacle stand in his way; the trademark of most great heroes and protagonists. However, Daniel is not a hero, far from it. I have trouble deciding if he is the protagonist or antagonist of the picture but I don't think that he was meant to be either. Even at his most monstrous he still has elements in him that commands your respect. He's a layered, endlessly interesting character and it was so great to watch.

The cinematography paints a gorgeous picture and is some of director of photography Robert Elswit's best work. Whether it's the flames shooting out from the earth against the black backdrop of night or a distant wide-angle shot of a long-awaited reunion in an almost empty plain, every single frame of this film is a beautiful painting that sucks you in, even if no characters are on screen. I'm a sucker for historical movies and this is a great example of that kind of film. Despite lacking cowboys and outlaws this movie can fit right next to great Westerns like those of Sergio Leone or more recent ones like No Country For Old Men and Unforgiven. Little Boston is a small town in the desolate arid mountains of California, completely isolated but for a railroad track with many of it's inhabitants living on farms away from the town proper and it is a great backdrop to the story.

The soundtrack is also fantastic. The soundtrack is used sparingly and perfectly complements the pictures on screen. It hits you in the face right at the beginning and is used a few different times to unnerve and disturb you and it totally works. The soundtrack is used only when it needs to be and is very unique. Much of the soundtrack is comprised solely of strings and almost has a kind of horror movie sound that really works well with what is on screen and the underlying themes and ideas.

There is not enough that can be said about Daniel Day Lewis' performance in this film. Even if the rest of the film was awful, which I can assure you is definitely not the case, this would still be worth seeing just for Daniel Plainview. Day Lewis gives it his all and every film I see with him I'm shocked at how he transforms himself. His facial mannerisms, his walk, his slight hunch and his voice differentiate him from the other characters he's played and if I didn't know he was in this movie I probably couldn't tell that it was him in the role. He's electrifying in every single scene and sells moments that should just be silly but he delivers it with such conviction that it becomes menacing and evil. This is the case with the most memed line of the entire film: "I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!"

Another standout is Dillon Freasier as H.W. Plainview. He doesn't say too much but he is fantastic for a child actor. After a certain scene his character is effected in a major way and he does a fantastic job with what he was given and I was very impressed. Paul Dano is also great. His portrayal of Eli Sunday was excellent and he pulled off his multi-layered character very well. At first he seems as though he's a simple small town boy in over his head but you later see a horribly flawed person and he sells it very easily. O'Connor is fantastic in his role too and he gives such a genuine performance I ended up really connecting with him for the brief time we see him.

My goal with this review was to explain why I love this movie as much as I do and to try and convince anyone reading to watch it. I mentioned the long runtime but when you're absorbed in the film and the amazing acting on the part of Day Lewis you cease to notice time pass and I could probably watch it again right after seeing it. Quentin Tarantino (Yes, THAT Quentin Tarantino) said of this film that you need to see it multiple times, at least twice. Not because it's confusing, but to truly understand just how great of a film it is. 

Image Sources:

https://xslayermovies.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/no-country-for-old-men-vs-there-will-be-blood/

http://flavorwire.com/528087/the-50-greatest-movie-characters-of-all-time/45

http://www.vulture.com/2008/01/national_society_of_film_criti.html

http://www.apotpourriofvestiges.com/2012/03/there-will-be-blood-2007.html

https://www.musikexpress.de/daniel-day-lewis-beendet-seine-karriere-hat-noch-die-chance-auf-seinen-vierten-oscar-822079/