The first 10/10 I gave out in almost 4 years

Rating: 10/10 (3 March 2009)

This isn't exactly cover story news, but that is FOUR years, mind you. And I've seen over 1,000 movies for the first time since then. There just never had been a film since then that fully captivated me and which at the same time I deemed competently made and complex enough.
Now this glorious movie was a rewatch and I had it rated 9/10 after I saw it the first time at the theater early in 2008. It's a film that can't complain about a lack of praise, neither from film critics, nor from IMDbers. The film in question is, of course, There Will Be Blood.
It gripped me from the first minute and didn't loosen its grip until the end. Much of it can be contributed to the score, that gives the scenes an odour of urgency. The pacing, the tone, the composition of the film is just so right, it never hits a wrong note. There's not a scene that makes you think: "What was that good for?" or "That seemed kinda off."
It is the source of one of cinemas great characters and much of D.P.'s lines are so memorable that I could quote them after my first viewing. Unlike most films it never seemed to be in a hurry. You won't find something like a hasty camera sway to capture something unexpected or to catch up with an actor. There isn't a moment that feels like some random idea that the director came up with an hour before and that he thought would sort of fit at that place in the movie.
Now the visuals... What else could be said about the images other than that they are beautiful to look at? Well, just take this shot, for example. - http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt13/PedeAmb/ThereWillBeBlood.jpg - The sequence starts with the camera zoomed in on Daniel Plainview's back. The camera slowly pans out to reveal the huge, burning oil fountain. Daniel raises his arms to signal somebody. Now from both sides men pulling carriages filled with dynamite enter the frame. As all necessary components are inside the frame the camera stops panning out (see picture). The men park the carriages in the flame, and the dynamite blows up five seconds later, while the men get away from the fountain and out of the picture as fast as they can. The flame expires right on time. And all of this happens to be set in front of an awe-inspiring bright blue sky filled with majestic clouds. How much planning and testing must have went into that?
One reason why it is very relevant for a film to be one piece made out of many different well-conducted pieces (from cinematography to set decoration to acting...) is that it let's you lose yourself in the movie, which enhances the emotional impact. There is another reason why the whole package is important, and why just one individual aspect that holds your interest in a film isn't quite enough. If you feel like everything is done right, you will feel like you are in good hands. It's when you feel that you are in good hands that you have complete confidence in the filmmaker and his vision. You roll with the movie all the way, no matter how outlandish or puzzling the movie might become. You are there, because you have the confidence that the guy who brought it to be knew what he did. As I watched There Will Be Blood I was confident that Paul Thomas Anderson knew what he did.