An Angry Film With Strength

Rating: 9/10 (23 January 2008)

"Are you an angry man, Henry?...Are you envious? Do you get envious?...I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. I hate most peopleThere are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I want to earn enough money that I can get away from everyoneI see the worst in people. I don't need to look past seeing them to get all I need. I want to rule and never, ever explain myself. I've built my hatreds up over the years, little by little, Henry... to have you here gives me a second breath. I can't keep doing this on my own with these... people." The film is a saga of just this, a man attempting to get away from it all. It is dark and bloody brilliant for it. I had my doubts early in the film when the sound appeared off from film rising to a finale that was not there. Actually, it was more foreboding than off, but it felt different. Nevertheless, it kept that throughout driving a deliberate pace, which built and built throughout making many expected and many non-expected turns and twists. I have never seen a Paul Thomas Anderson film until now, but this film is a great masterpiece to add to the films already out falling in line with No Country for Old Men and Zodiac for dark themes and moods.
The first and strongest aspect of the film is the central performer, Daniel Day Lewis who plays a charismatic "oil" man named Daniel Plainview. He speaks those words at the top in confidence to his brother, Henry. He believes his jealously and beliefs are ingrained in his whole family and, therefore, must reside in his brother as well. Well things in that respect are flawed, but it just goes further to prove Daniel's angry man complex. He can never truly be at peace. In addition, he finds a perfect enemy in the town "minister" Eli Sunday, played with fervor by Paul Dano, who is made of the same stuff. Into this mix is added the beloved "son" of Daniel, H W, who appears to be innocent, but cannot be truly, so with such a mentor/father as Daniel who will do whatever it takes to succeed to get away from everyone.
These are just the keys players, the films is further helped by a brilliant symphonic soundtrack constructed by Johnny Greenwood, which invokes classical pieces, as well as, more "primitive" sounds. I use primitive to refer to the native sound of it all, almost what could be called, a minimal sounding chorus at times with a single drum or strain carrying in the background. I think it helps to reach the savageness of the main characters and their ever growing jealously and anger.
It is hard to talk about the film without revealing twists, which help to add to the greatness of the film, but I will leave it at that to suffice to say that this is great addition to the strong group of masterpieces that I have watched this past year.