There Will Be an Oscar for Daniel Day-Lewis

|Review|

There Will Be Blood

Written/Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Based on the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair

***1/2 out of 4

In it’s simplest form, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s (Boogie Nights) latest offering There Will Be Blood is a character study of a man’s life molded by oil, greed and God—or lack there of. It draws comparisons to John Huston’s Treasure of the Sierra Madre, a film studied by Daniel Day-Lewis for his role in this film, one in which gold has an affect on men for good or bad.
The film begins in the late 19^th century and eventually takes us to the near end of the Roaring 20’s. Daniel Plainview played by the stellar Daniel Day-Lewis and son/partner H.W. (Dillon Freasier) take advantage of a booming American oil and automobile industry in the early 20^th century. By this time Standard Oil controls approximately 90% of the industry, yet Plainview is somewhat of a Tycoon- he has multiple oil wells producing thousands of barrels of oil a day.

Plainview’s business is profitable but he could be profiting more if he could find a way to minimize or eliminate railroad shipping costs. A tip from rancher Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) from Little Boston, California, provides Plainview with the hope of hitting a big strike that will make him a millionaire. Plainview aims to acquire the land and collaborate with Union Oil to build a pipeline to the coast of California.

He promises the people of the obscure town that life will improve as a new school will be built, irrigation will make the land fertile for crops and a church will be built for the community. Plainview is met with enthusiasm by the inhabitants with the exception of Eli Sunday (also played by Paul Dano), a young preacher concerned about the greed that comes with oil.

Plainview believes God is a superstition, while Eli is so fervent in his beliefs that he believes God has given him healing powers. Plainview once remarks that he sees the “worst in people”, thus he views Eli as a false prophet, a charlatan. On the other hand, Eli believes Plainview means well but he is essentially a flawed man who needs to be saved by religion from his greed. Eli also thinks Plainview is putting his oil business ahead of the well-being of his young son H.W.

The result is a fascinating clash between Plainview’s hardworking industrious nature and the blind faith of young Eli that is the focal point of this character study. Oil and the greed that comes with it make Plainview an increasingly vengeful man. He threatens to cut the throat of a Standard Oil representative interested in buying him out, he verbally and physically tries to intimidate Eli and he doesn’t take too kindly to a man impersonating a long lost brother. The rise of Eli as a preacher of increasing prominence is not explored sufficiently and the instances we do see of him preaching to a small congregation leads one to believe he is a screaming zealot and quite possibly a charlatan.

There are a number of elements working in favor for There Will Be Blood. The original score by Jonny Greenwood (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) excels in conveying tension and heightened-drama, even if it is a bit heavy-handed at times. The cinematography by Robert Elswit is stunning in it’s portrayal of the beautiful, unsettled open spaces of the American west. This reviewer’s favorite shot is one of a beautiful orchard as part of a series of shots later in the film.

One gripe would have to be Anderson’s screenplay loosely based on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil! . The first half of the film is paced very well. Notably, the first twelve minutes, free of dialogue, effectively outlines the business nature of Plainview and hints at events to follow. The screenplay tends to wander in the last hour of the film leading to a drawn-out final scene which may have audiences scratching their heads (or laughing as was the case at the theater I attended). The final scene could have been shortened as could scenes (Plainview meets the Standard Oil agent again) expounding on the vengeful nature of Plainview’s character. Anderson had already established Plainview’s character by then and should have moved quicker to the screenplay’s conclusion.

Naturally, the film’s strongest point is the brilliant performance by Day-Lewis. He portrays the supreme confidence of Plainview in the profitability of oil, his strong, yet fleeting love for his son and his ever-increasing greed and vengeance with intensity comparable to that of his portrayal of William Cutting in Gangs of New York. Although Day-Lewis’ performance is not as over-the-top as some film critics may lead you to believe, it alone is worth the price of admission.