Greed and fundamentalism

Rating: 8/10 (26 June 2020)

A story which shows us a couple of the pillars America was founded on, unabashed greed and religious fundamentalism. Paul Thomas Anderson really transports us to the oil fields of the late 19th century, and the performance from Daniel Day Lewis is stellar, leading a very strong cast. The film reminded me of 'Citizen Kane' in its scope of an ambitious man's life, from the early days of finding his fortune to fighting and clawing his way to riches, and 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' in how greed perverts his soul. Its epic feel and high production quality certainly make it worthy of being discussed among such great old films.
I found the relationship between the misanthropic oilman (Lewis) and a faith healer (Paul Dano) fascinating; both seem like flim flam men who manipulate the crowds around them, and their gamesmanship shows itself in a need to dominate and humiliate the other. The oilman is the apex predator in his world, but looming are the bigger fish of Standard Oil and the robber barons who threaten to snap him up. I'm not sure the story is quite as good or as well told as the beautiful cinematography and excellent acting, but the film was interesting for all of its 158 minutes. In the end, where does all of the battling and wealth accumulation lead in a man's life? And can one be successful in the capitalist world and remain a humanist? This film gives answers that are as dark as that pool of oil spewing out of the earth.