The closest the 21st century gets in terms of epic historic (fictitious) biopics

Rating: 10/10 (24 January 2017)

Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" is a classic, there is no denying, a movie that people should still see 100 years from now and a lot of this is due to Daniel Day-Lewis' mesmerizing performance during these 2.5 hours. It's not a problem at all that none of the other actors in here are known really. For Dano, it was a bit of a breakthrough film, even if opinions differ about his turn here. It is possibly Day-Lewis' career-defining performance and every scene with him is mesmerizing to watch, especially in the second half when every scene is a winner, also contents-wise and it doesn't matter if we are talking about the restaurant/pub scenes, the ones with his brother, the final scene with his son (including the confession), the milk shake scene or eventually the grand finale. One amazing sequence after the next. And while I do think that Day-Lewis is the best thing about the movie, I still think it should have won more Oscars, but "No Country for Old Men" is pretty great too, so I can bear with it.
In terms of the subjects here, it is what you'd expect for a 2-hour film. It is never boring because there is so much in it, in terms of quantity as well as quality. God/Religion is a recurring theme, but it is also about much more personal issues, like fatherhood, family and a general sense of belonging. It's also interesting how love or sexual relationships are missing entirely in terms of Plainview's character. Another thing that should definitely be mentioned is the visual side. A movie about the early 20th century could hardly look any better in terms of cinematography etc. This film here is a true experience. I think it may be an even better watch if you don't know about the contents and what happens on several occasions, also especially the scenes in which Plainview proves a ruthless criminal, but it's still really good on rewatch. It's possible to write a 10,000 word examination on the character of Daniel Plainview (probably more as he is still a contender for most memorable film character of the 21st century) and the story itself as well, or even about his relationship with his son, about the initial motivation to take him and how his perception may have changed, the moment when he leaves his son when he needs him the most to run to the derrick for example. But there are many many other scenes to be honest and you will recognize them if you see them. This film is an experience that you have to make yourself and while I am usually more interested in the historic context of 20th century films that take place a little later, this film is evidence how I can also appreciate a work from very early 20th century, even if admittedly politics don't play a role in here at all and the time is pretty irrelevant if we neglect the professional background of DDL's character here.
So overall, this film is one of the rare occasions of the 21st century where I am not shy of using the term masterpiece. PTA and DDL are masters of their craft and they prove that they are among the very best existing right now in their respective fields. My description of this review already sums up perfectly how I see it and yes it is a must-see, even for people with not much of an interest in the admittedly sterile and bleak subjects of oil production and very early 20th century life, maybe also because it is only in theory about these topics. It is much more a character study, a biopic of what greed can do to you and how it can go against values like family, religion and sense of belonging if you make the wrong decisions because of your emotional state and because of who you are. Daniel Day-Lewis hits all the right notes here and even nails the scenes that could easily have gone over the top in bad way. Go see it now. What are you waiting for. A 150-minute movie (or even slightly longer) that never drags, you don't get that really often, do you?