Absolutely Stunning, Raw and Powerful!

Rating: 10/10 (29 July 2012)

This is what movie-making is all about. A good movie will tell the most difficult, hard-to-believe story in the most simplest form by infusing some great drama with equally great theatrics and there... you have a winner! Cinema is nothing but a fancy form of story-telling. This movie exemplifies that notion just right!!!
Daniel Day Lewis' performance is exemplary, no adjective can perfectly connote what his performance as Daniel Plainview actually meant. It was phenomenal, It was something more than just an act, more than a theatrical. That was a transcendence, an inspired portrayal, insanely motivated and powered and almost superhuman! This is what differentiates great men from the mediocre, clarity from clutter! Lewis' Daniel Plainview is the most gratifying, awe-inspiring, refreshing and utterly masterful performances in the last 10 years. He is a man who'll scare you, terrify you and still leave you jaw-dropped with his power and ruthlessness. You might as well feel inspired by this mortifying man. This is the greatest performance on screen in the last 10 years. No Doubt! I can go on singing praises for this movie and this is the way I feel even 5 years after watching it for the first time and a countless more since then. That's how much it's effect has been imprinted on me!
Now, no matter how genius the action, the music, the editing and other technicalities be, a movie is not a great one if the story isn't in right place. Marvelous execution of the story by Paul Thomas Anderson, kudos to him for achieving what he did with this film. The technique, his direction, his mental scope to carry out those dramatic scenes with such poise and his mature viewpoint to narrate this twisted piece of cinema is a tremendous achievement in it's own right. This film walks through the dangerous terrain of universal hatred, greed, religion, regret, obsession infused madness and plays around those notions drawing parallels with the world we live in today. Paul Thomas Anderson is a bold man for he has crisply described the nuances of such complications with a refreshingly different form of story-telling. Daniel Day Lewis is a legend. With this film, these two have created an effect that will not leave once imprinted upon its viewer. It's not an easy watch, but aren't all ghostly-fear laden-truths of life difficult to gulp down with ease? It is a relentless tale, a gripping narrative, and overall a majestic film. Kudos to Daniel Day Lewis. Kudos To Paul Thomas Anderson for producing this gem. Absolute Respect For Them!