Daniel Day Lewis Is Nothing Short Of Phenomenal.

Rating: 9/10 (14 August 2014)

Paul Thomas Anderson has a unique talent for making genre films distinctly his. After a five year absence he comes back with "There Will Be Blood", loosely based on the 1927 novel "Oil!", and it's nothing short of spectacular. It also noticeably contains a multiple award winning performance by Daniel Day Lewis, that I feel was the best character of that decade who embodied sin, corruption, greed and so much raw emotion it will remain forever unique. It is all so expertly captured by Anderson in a 2 hour 30 minute epic, and rarely any form of cliché or gimmick manage to sneak in.
The setting mostly takes within place miles of desert, which pretty much suits Daniel Plainview's (Day Lewis) completely locked up character. From the beginning, we see him break his leg after a mine explosion exposes an ore, and drags himself what could easily be miles to the nearest town to record the claim. So begins a journey of one man forming a small drilling company, and blooming into a full blown empire. A few scenes of sparse locals and labourers bring us back to reality after watching some really brutal scenes, all of which culminates in a fantastic portrayal of one mans greed and utter destruction.
Many critics had placed it at the top of their "best of" lists, and to me there's an awfully big tie between this and the Coen Brothers "There Will Be Blood" (2007). For me personally, it definitely places somewhere in the top 3 of 2007's movies. Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood composes the soundtrack, and distinctly makes it atmospheric with added drone sounds that get used a little too often, but never condemns the overall production. What little of the supporting cast is used, all of them hold up well. I have to admit however, that as much I love Paul Dano and no matter how good a performer he is, he doesn't hold up well as an "antagonist" for Daniel Day Lewis (Who does?).
Final Verdict: A superb drama like wine, it gets better with age. 9/10.