Review: There Will Be Blood

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2008)

There are those who will "get" Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood and those who won't. The film is beyond comparison to anything in contemporary cinema and will likely confuse those expecting a formulaic movie experience. There Will Be Blood is more akin to the strict visual representation of a novel - rather than a mere adaptation for screen. Unlike most modern films, there is virtually no dialogue in the first thirty minutes; no heroes per se; no singular narrative pervasive among its many scenes that could be called the central plot; etc. It's this abandonment of convention that is one of There Will Be Blood's greatest strengths and likely the main reason this author witnessed many movie-goers walking out of the movie and/or complaining that they "hated it" afterwards. If you're willing to forgo convention and simply appreciate an honest story about disparate individuals behaving in sincere accordance with their motivations, then you'll assuredly love the epic that is There Will Be Blood.
There Will Be Blood is the story of primarily three people: Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) - an entrepreneur whose competitive streak is unbridled; Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) - an evangelical faith-healer with harrowing zeal; and H.W. Plainview (Dillon Freasier) - an unsettled child striving to make sense of his station. The film is a saga of their aspirations and the unexpected places their distinct personalities take them.
The film begins in 1898 with Daniel Plainview working in solitude at a remote, silver mine. This (mostly) silent time spent alone with Daniel Day-Lewis' character affectingly brings the viewer to an intimate sympathy for his passion and his drive to said passion. Several years pass within the first 30 minutes of the film. The audience witnesses Plainview's hard-earned ascension from lowly prospector to an aspiring oil baron who cunningly swindles oil-ignorant settlers out of huge fortunes in exchange for his expertise. Always at Plainview's side is his son H.W. - a silent puppet used to demonstrate to potential clients that "Daniel Plainview is a family man." In their time spent alone however, one can almost see Daniel's love for H.W. manifest within the twinkle of his eye - Daniel just doesn't know how to express this sentiment to H.W.
The fate of the Plainviews' family business is inexorably changed when Daniel is sold a tip by a young man named Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) that there is an ocean of oil seeping throughout the territory of Little Boston, California. Daniel and H.W. engage on a pseudo-hunting trip to scout the land that is owned by the Sunday family. H.W. discovers oil seepage and proudly shows his father. Without divulging his true intentions, Daniel attempts to buy the property from the Sundays as a place for H.W. and him to hunt quail. Abel Sunday (David Willis) is more than happy to oblige before his self-proclaimed, faith-healer son (Paul's twin) Eli (also played by Paul Dano) protests and exposes Plainview's oil-drilling ambitions. Daniel eventually acquires the Sunday property (albeit at a much higher price) and proceeds to buy all surrounding properties throughout the community (except one that becomes a key part of the story later on). Plainview promises to give the bought-out residents schools, irrigation and wealth - although through Day-Lewis' superb acting, the audience can perceive that Plainview's greedy lust for oil is his singular goal. Once the stage is set, the tale of a clamorous capitalist unfurls - his triumphs and tribulations (both equally gripping).
What makes this story so captivating, is witnessing the motivations of these robust characters play out. Daniel Day-Lewis' masterful portrayal of Daniel Plainview is stunning. He is both charismatic and detestable; There Will Be Blood is essentially his story and as such, the film itself contains sentiments of both charisma and detestability. In essence, Daniel Day-Lewis takes There Will Be Blood from being merely good to the level of classic cinema. Lewis deserves every bit of media praise that he has received for this role - one would be hard-pressed to find a more memorable character than Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood.
One would be remiss however, to not acknowledge the other excellent actors in There Will Be Blood. Paul Dano is frightening in his portrayal of berserk evangelical Eli Sunday. Eli's outrageous behavior and impenetrable hold over the residents of Little Boston perpetually fuels the contest of convictions between himself and Daniel Plainview. In spite of this, it is unfortunate that Paul Dano was also cast as his brother Paul as this leads to quite a bit of unintended confusion as to whether they are in actuality, brothers or multiple personalities of the same being.
Credit must also be given to Dillon Freasier as H.W. The role Dillon plays in There Will Be Blood compliments Day-Lewis perfectly as the catalyst which exposes Daniel Plainview's most repugnant as well as most admirable attributes.
There Will Be Blood is a film which deserves recognition of classic caliber. It is a compelling epic and to some degree, a telling tragedy of unhindered lust for human contrivances. There Will Be Blood will not be appreciated by everyone - its uniqueness as a film precludes comparison to anything previously seen in film. It is this profound distinctiveness however, that demands everyone's attention; love it or hate it, There Will Be Blood is a pre-eminent slice of cinematic art!