"Blood" nothing short of a masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (16 August 2010)

There is a certain amount of dread surrounding the release of "There Will Be Blood," Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's novel "Oil!" I anticipated disappointment in thinking Anderson's film would be yet another imitator of "Citizen Kane." After all, the story of Daniel Plainview plays out in the same epic fashion as that of Charles Foster Kane.
Fortunately, Anderson is wise enough to understand that this is not and does not need simply to be a "Kane" clone. Instead, "Blood" is a deeply devoted and emotionally engaging telling of one man's quest to reach the top of his field.
Daniel Day-Lewis gives what can only be described as the best performance of the decade thus far as Plainview. Day-Lewis's Plainview is a master of coercion and social understanding, but these traits go from strong to weak as the film progresses.
Equally as interesting is Eli Sunday, brought to life by "Little Miss Sunshine" star Paul Dano. The brilliance of Dano's performance comes from the overzealous and almost comedic nature of Eli's ambitions for his faith and church.
Eli's larger-than-life personality to the rural people of his small town puzzled Plainview, who wonders how these men and women could be so idiotic in accepting Eli's principles.
In this questioning lies the essence of Day-Lewis' character, a hungry oil tycoon in the making who is as much of an enigma as the members of Eli's church. By the film's end, one could view all of Plainview's actions, which include murder, bribery and theft, as being the products not of selfishness, but, as Plainview explains, of a hatred for the simplicity of the people around him.
Just as grand as Plainview's desires is the scope of the picture itself. Anderson vividly brings to life early 1900s America in a desolate, distraught matter that is not easily achieved.
Robert Elswit's cinematography is breathtaking, perfectly capturing the vastness of the then-undeveloped California land with the grand scope of the open fields that hold the promise of oil.
In terms of score, Johnny Greenwood's composition for the film is revolutionary. Not very often do audiences see such a dynamic flow of music combined with notes that set off a sense of urgency even in the weaker moments of "Blood." It should be noted that the film's less powerful segments are few and far between and are mostly produced in the first half when viewers see Plainview simply toy with his violent nature.
Still, this film has such a grand ambition to it that its ultimate goal almost seems to override every other aspect of the film, except for Day-Lewis' performance. The greatest achievement of "Blood" is in shooting for the highest sense of dramatic purpose imaginable, and on many levels, it achieves its hopes.
The end result is nothing short of an American masterpiece and a film that I feel safe in saying will only become more respected as time goes on. "There Will Be Blood" returns the epic film genre to its most basic, yet effective, roots and succeeds in grabbing our attention time and time again.