Worst...Ending...Ever

Rating: 7/10 (19 February 2008)

The final scene of "There Will Be Blood" outranks the Pam Ewing it-was-all-a-dream sequence from "Dallas" as the most ridiculous story ending ever. For those who haven't seen Paul Thomas Anderson's latest Herculean effort, I won't spoil things by giving away details, but suffice it to say that it's as if Anderson suddenly realized he forgot to finish the screenplay, so he wrapped it all up with a little set piece featuring scenery chewing actors, gallons of booze, and a bowling pin. If this movie doesn't win Best Picture at the 2008 Academy Awards, it's because of the colossal failure of the film's last ten minutes.
Up until then, however, this turn of the century saga about raw ambition and the overwhelming desire to succeed is riveting. Daniel Day Lewis is very nearly flawless as anti-hero Daniel Plainview, who literally climbs from the bottom of the oil barrel to the top of the industry over a period of 30 years. Paul Dano as Eli Sunday, the slimy evangelist, is equally terrific and has no trouble holding his own against Lewis' awesome talent. Dillon Freasier, who plays Plainview's adopted son, is also remarkable, especially considering this young boy had no acting experience before being cast by Anderson.
The look of the movie is breathtaking, the musical score is haunting, and Anderson's attention to detail (right down to Lewis' permanently blackened fingernails) is fantastic. Everything clicks - and "Blood" almost becomes the finest epic film of the last five years.
But Anderson drops the ball - or shall I say the drill pipe - in the finale, with Lewis and Dano becoming caricatures while the film implodes upon itself like an over-stressed oil derrick. It's too bad Anderson hasn't yet learned how to wrap up a movie - remember the frog rainstorm in Magnolia? Yup - it's kinda like that.
But if you can block out the ending, "There Will Be Blood" certainly ranks as one of 2007's best and most ambitious efforts.