A great film.

Rating: 9/10 (15 January 2008)

There Will Be Blood is a gripping tale of American ambition at the turn of the century and, more importantly, the greed that comes with that ambition succeeding. We are introduced to numerous characters, all of whom say whatever they can in order to gain the most wealth. Every character places their own selfish needs in front of anything else and this compels the story into many dark, unnerving scenes of power and greed.
Behind every element of the story is the continuing battle between Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Eli Sunday (Paul Dano). The core plot is that of Daniel's greed and desire to make enough money that he can escape from everyone else, but Eli constantly shows up to get in his way. He's the kind of annoying ant that you see on the street and immediately want to squash and Plainview embodies that desire. Day-Lewis creates a wince every time Eli appears on screen that feels so much like myself and he finds humor in the young man's absurd preaching and gospel, for he believes that he is a vessel for God. But when Plainview's son H.W. loses his hearing, he finally snaps and bullies Eli into a puddle of oil, shoving it down his throat. This feud continues through decades all the way to the shocking, jaw-dropping final scene. I literally couldn't breathe or move for moments after the final scene...my mind was stunned into a complete catharsis.
Charging the entire film is the flawless performance from Daniel Day-Lewis who once again proves why he is the greatest actor of all time. This intense, completely absorbed performance is easily one of the greatest of all time and deserves every award he has received and the Oscar that it's the front-runner for. A haunting portrayal. Most actors would pale in comparison to such a daring portrayal, but Paul Dano rises up to the challenge of having to share the screen with Day-Lewis. He excels, and then some. Dano clearly had no reservations with completely immersing himself into this character. He goes over the top just as Sunday is meant to be and it results in a performance that is one of the best of the decade. Words can't begin to describe the genius behind these two performances.
Behind everything in the film is Paul Thomas Anderson who completely sheds the style that he's used in his previous films and creates something unlike anything I've ever seen. He perfectly captures the bleak aspect of the film's setting and the time period, which is the perfect contrast for the painfully unnerving story that he unfolds here. His direction is absolutely top-notch. Jonny Greenwood's score should also be mentioned as it sets the perfect, bone-chilling ambiance that the story should have behind it.