Quite Possibly...The Best Since Shawshank...

Rating: 10/10 (2 February 2008)

First of all, I would like to say that although I am pretty young (15), I have a great appriceation for film and the craftsmanship that goes into it. That being said, I'm not old enough to have experienced the ending of Psycho in theatres, see Brando's riveting performance in On The Waterfront without the hype from my dad, but I have seen such 'epics' as Cry_Wolf in theatres. Depressing right? I had been following this year in movies play out (for the record, it was an amazing year in cinema), and have been following TWBB for months now. I tried seeing it twice during its limited release (2 theatres nationwide), but each time, it was sold out days beforehand. I finally saw it a couple nights ago and felt compelled to write a comment. I thought that NCFOM and Eastern Promises wouldn't be surpassed, and I would go and watch DDL dominate the screen for 150 minutes, and see a very good film. I couldn't have been more wrong. The movie starts out with almost no dialouge, but with characters communicating through actions. It is done so eloquently, I felt like that if this was a silent film, it would've been just as good. The film continues with more brilliant cinematography, a dazzling script, and an incredible score. DDL shined as Daniel Plainview, who is one of the most haunting villains to ever grace a screen, but Paul Dano was also very, very good as Eli Sunday (I kept thinking Anthony Perkins as I watched him) and the cast in general is superb. The film runs a little long, but I enjoy longer films. Everything was in sync and impressed me, from the end credits to the accuracy on how oil was drilled in the early 20th century. There are also a lot of subtle meanings in the movie (DANIEL Plain-VIEW...think religion) and is not overly intelligent. Its a beautiful experience, and as I left the theatre, speechless, I could only think that I was more impressed with The Godfather, and that TWBB gave me the same feeling as after I saw Andy Dufrane sitting on a boat in Mexico, gazing at the sillohuette of Red. An amazing picture which should be viewed by all.