There is a classic

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2013)

I heard a lot of praise and superlatives for There Will Be Blood with critics calling it a 'masterpiece' a 'classic' and Daniel Day Lewis' performance being hailed as one of the best performances in cinematic history. Thus my expectations were high and surprisingly they were met. There Will Be Blood astonished me right from its sublime opening. We're introduced to a fabulous shot of somewhat threatening desert mountains with The Shining-esque dissident music playing over it, immediately giving the film a sinister quality. Then we're showed the corruption of Daniel Plainview as he discovers oil by accident and elaborately draws it out, presented entirely with no dialogue, just striking direction and visuals. It's a gripping sequence and the film doesn't let up from there.
Let's start with the visuals. There Will Be Blood features some of the most stunning cinematography I've ever witnessed. Sometimes it looked as though it was a stunning oil painting (pun kind of intended) with awe-inspiring shots of landscape, almost eating up our anti-hero. Daniel is often presented in raw close-ups like the characters in Les Miserables, giving him a domineering look throughout the film. Daniel is so powerful that he even controls when the film is going to end with a haunting, "I'm finished." Paul Thomas Anderson (who's works I've never seen before) directs with amazement. There are often very few camera shots, focusing on the intensity of our protagonist.
And let's face it, There Will Be Blood succeeds so spectacularly because of it's terrifically memorable main character. At it's heart, There Will Be Blood is a character study and an intense one at that. Daniel is basically in every scene and he's a compelling character to watch. At first I felt admiration for his ambition, but then we see him turn into someone totally ruthless, filled with greed and anger. I also loved how the two contrasting characters of Daniel and the preacher interacted. The preacher thinks he's some sort of God, whereas Daniel could be alluded to Satan, however in the end the preacher and Daniel are nigh on opposite sides of the same coin.
Of course, the character of Daniel Plainview is made all that more compelling thanks to the other Daniel that's playing him. Daniel Day Lewis is truly electrifying and is up there with Heath Ledger's stonking performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight. He has a wonderful charisma about him, he's a great public speaker and has great ambition. However, he turns into someone almost psychotic. I found the final moments to be the most memorable and haunting as we see Daniel in the future, clearly succeeded, but has he? It's here that Daniel Day Lewis is at his most intense and jaw-dropping, helped by the wonderful writing.
The screenplay is a tour-de-force of writing. It sometimes reminded me of Quentin Tarantino as it often featured long scenes of dialogue, but written with such suspense it made it all the more gripping. All the characters are developed wonderfully, but of course it's Daniel that we're focused on most. The directing also reminded me of Stanley Kubrick at times, filled with atmosphere and dread just like the extraordinary, The Shining. One of the most intense sequences features Daniel getting baptised in Church in order to secure an oil deal. It's jaw-dropping to watch as one of my favourite critics Chris Tookey pointed out that Daniel is full of rage, yet also genuinely calling out to God. It's quite heart-breaking.
After seeing There Will Be Blood I thought that it deserved a definite 9/10. However, it's been almost 48 hours after watching it and it's still swimming around in my head. I also felt utterly compelled to buy it on blu-ray (as I catched the film on the telly) which is certainly telling. Thus, I have to give it the perfect 10/10 as it just resonates in your mind. Plus it just feels right to do so at the moment. There Will Be Blood is an unforgettable film which you'll either get or you won't. I loved the atmospheric music and atmosphere which prevailed throughout the film. Daniel Day Lewis gives an astonishing performance, playing one of the best characters in the film world. It's final moments completely amazed me and immediately made me want to see it again as it's heft two and a half hour running time flew by. There Will Be Blood is a true masterpiece and an utter modern classic not to be missed!