Misleading title, excruciatingly slow pace

Rating: 4/10 (24 February 2008)

This movie has the slowest pace I've ever seen, and at 2 hrs 40 minutes, it's very unnecessary. Nobody says anything for the first 10 minutes, and the first two hours could easily fit into 60 minutes without compromising the character or plot development. If anything the slow pace lends a sense of the pace of that period, but there's a reason we've moved on.
There is also a huge error in the oil rig operation. When the rig is allegedly drilling, only the pump is seen operating, even though there was nothing to pump yet. There is no drill or bits to be seen, except during one scene where a crewman is hit by a bit extension - but they were never actually drilling! Considering the extent they made everything else period-accurate and realistic, I find that horribly unacceptable.
And with all the hype implying it would be an action-packed western, it was anything but. I can appreciate a good drama, but not in slow-motion! Daniel Day-Lewis transforms himself amazingly to suit the role, but why on earth did he put so much work into looking exactly like Tom Selleck and sounding exactly like Clint Eastwood?! It completely killed the realism of the character for me. Ironically, it was the most entertaining aspect for me, but at no point did I feel he was anything but an actor playing a role.
Overall it was a huge disappointment for me, and the only Oscar-worthy aspect would be the cinematography, at best.