Brilliant performance in a flawed movie

Rating: 7/10 (17 March 2013)

There's no doubt the DDL thrives on epic roles and the part of Daniel Plainview is no exception. He spent a year preparing for the role and used oral histories to perfect the delivery of the character of a turn of the century prospector who ultimately makes it big. However, while the film contains brilliant performances from the star and supporting cast, the script, loosely based on real life events, proves strangely unsatisfying and peters out with an ending that somehow hovers between Howard Hughes and a Clockwork Orange. If the final 20 minutes of the movie had lived up to the promise of the first part it would have got a 10, as it is, an ultimately unfulfilling film.