Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2008)

This was a film that I loved but could never fully recommend to other people, because it is such a personal experience. Either you are on-board with Plainview or you aren't. I am a huge Daniel Day Lewis fan, but was actually almost hesitant to see this film because I felt this character would likely have many similarities to his previous character Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York. I was way off, Day Lewis pulls off another masterful and fully distinct portrayal.
This is a dark film, and a long one, but I never once noticed the running time because the movie just flows beautifully.
The basic plot is Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis) is an oil man who gets word that there might be tons of oil in a town called Little Boston. When he gets there he finds it, and finds success along with rivalry with the town's wild preacher. But that is only the plot on the superficial level, there are deeper themes of greed and overwhelming anger. Plainview descends into madness, but we can't quite tell at what moment this happens.