Bi-Polar

Rating: 5/10 (8 July 2008)

There Will Be Blood, praised by critics and award ceremonies alike, has had major buzz since it was released on the silver screen. I followed the buzz and I've looked longingly at the film, but with trepidation. I've been here before, this ain't my first rodeo, I know films of this ilk. Many times the praise of critic amounts to: much to do about nothing. I've enjoyed some, Brokeback Mountain for instance. Most of the time though films like The Hours, Lost in Translation, and About Schmidt, which were all critically acclaimed, fall flat on this viewer. There Will Be Blood, officially joins the ranks of those unremarkable films.
The film has some high points. The acting is superb, the characters are interesting if a little schizophrenic. The premise of the movie is sound and I enjoyed the cinematography and overall tone of the film.
Unfortunately, this film falls into the genre of film that I am not easily impressed, the character study. Morality and greed are surely the topics of conversation in this picture. But, as with most character studies, the film devotes to much time to fleshing out the characters than furthering a coherent and meaningful plot. I'm not asking for back story to explain motivation, but I never got the feeling of any sort of direction in this film. Many events unfold made by the main character that seem to come from left field because you can never really understand what he is thinking or what type of person he truly is. This sentiment is shared with several characters in the film. I know that the complexities of human emotions cannot always be pegged into simple good or bad, but nonetheless the plot feels lacking. And the ending only exacerbates these feelings of schizophrenia and misdirection.
It isn't a terrible film, but definitely not of the caliber as other films in IMDBs top 250. I can only hope time will lower this bloated score.