The Daniel Day Lewis Show

Rating: 10/10 (8 April 2008)

As in his previous Oscar Winning endeavor, My Left Foot, there would be no There Will be Blood without Mr. Lewis. His multi-layered portrayal of the main character, obsessed oilman Daniel Plainview, is nothing less than a revelation. The Academy got it right this time, for a change.
As the seemingly mad oilman, Lewis shows us what great performances are truly made of. While not historically factual, or based on fact, it would be impossible not to imagine such a man doing exactly what he did, when he did it, and how he did it.
His character outwardly appears to be nothing more than an evil, greedy, controlling, self-loathing, self-possessed salesman, but hidden beneath the veneer is a man that has buried his sadness as deep as the oil he so desperately seeks. What we see on the surface is only rage, anger and ravenous avarice. But burrowed deep in the marrow of this soul is a man harboring so much sadness it defies belief.
I can fully understand why so many people did not like this film. It's Kubrick-like, stolidly deliberate pacing will no doubt be disappointing to the casual movie-goer. The closest film I have seen in terms of pacing and overall effect would be Kubrick equally challenging Barry Lyndon. At times interminable and wholly frustrating, this is a film that must be experienced with the understanding that it is NOT a conventional Hollywood movie. It needs to be soaked up slowly like a sponge...simultaneously absorbing and draining, it takes a great deal of patience to enjoy. So be forewarned. And NEVER has there been such a misleading title. I would imagine many people thought they were going to see Saw Part V, but this is not a slasher flick by any stretch of the imagination...and surprisingly, a movie with very little bloodshed. In fact, the majority of the violence is off-screen and left to the imagination.
I will not reveal any details at all, but the direction is startling. PT Anderson, whom I always felt was highly overrated, does his Kubrick thing with as much bravura as any filmmaker in modern times. The cinematography is breathtaking. The minimalist soundtrack by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood is equally absorbing. But this film belongs to it's star, a man that so fully disappears into his role it's hard to imagine he could ever crawl back out from under the character's skin.
And Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine) deserves nearly as much credit as Lewis. Expect to see more of this talented young man as the years pass. The entire cast is first rate, even the child actors, who will undoubtedly see this film (under their parent's supervision) and be shocked that they were a part of such a deep, dark product, which, by comparison, makes No Country for Old Men look like a Disney charmer.
There Will Be Blood is an unnerving masterpiece of epic proportion.