Floored. Period.

Rating: 9/10 (7 July 2009)

Just got done seeing this film for the first time, and it punched me dead in the face. Daniel Day-Lewis' interpretation of the main character Mr. Plainview is an absolute tour de force. His crystallized greed and over-the-top bitterness jabbed a nerve ending in me. I can understand how some viewers might call his approach too much, but considering the source material (a moralizing novel written to generate an inflammatory response), it felt right. the atonal musical score has been a bone to pick for many viewers as well. for me, although it did not seem to fit with the time period of the movie, it felt right to me as well. It reminded me of some of the music that filmmaker Stanley Kubrick put in his movies, and since Kubrick is my all time favorite director, i'm probably a little biased. but i think this movie is meant to be a work of art that tries hard to provoke an emotional response. the film could be seen as a moralizing tale, a cynical comment about the potential depths of mankind's greed, a stern warning, or a dozen other things. i got a great deal out of the film, and i think it will age pretty well as the years go by. it may feel admittedly boring and too drawn out at times, but it came across to me as a richly textured piece, showcasing Lewis' performance. BRAVO!