A modern fable of greed that is both gorgeous and terrifying...

Rating: 9/10 (10 August 2013)

Paul Thomas Anderson had proved himself a masterful filmmaker with titles such as "Boogie Nights" and of course "Magnolia," and the wonderful, surreal comedic Adam Sandler outfit "Punch-Drunk Love." All of these tales involved broken people who we were able to care for. And then comes "There Will Be Blood," a film about broken people who we do not care for, but learn to hate strongly. Anderson does not go out of his way to make this film intricately plotted, but instead simply focuses on two influential forces in America, forces that have been with us since the countries founding: Ruthless business and greedy religion. The primary focus is on Daniel Plainview, a man whose voice flows like molasses. He is the single most deplorable character in film since Scarface, and he's even less forgiving. He adopts a child in the name of having an heir to his business, only to later abandon him. He is the man who looks at people and sees "nothing worth liking" as he himself embodies the very greed that is wrong with mankind. And then there is Eli Sunday, the young preacher played by Paul Dano in a breakout role. He cares less for ministry as he does for himself. Any true man of faith (myself included) should see past the mask that this false prophet puts on and realize that the church he builds is for his greedy goals and monetary gain, putting him pretty much on the same level of Plainview in nastiness. The pressure builds and builds, and at the end the viewer is left breathless. So sit and watch this, set aside an afternoon to turn it over in your mind, and brace yourself, for there will, indeed, be blood.