Bravado and Brilliance

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2008)

Daniel Day Lewis is quite possibly the best actor of his, or perhaps any other, generation... and proves it in this film. He has created a fully realized living being that will make your skin crawl, stomach turn, and your heart pity.
There is a scene towards the middle of the film in which Day-Lewis' character confesses to be a sinner in front of Paul Dano's church congregation... I predict it will go on to be considered one of the greatest scenes of acting bravado and brilliance in the entire history of motion pictures.
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of my favorite directors, and I am amazed at how incredibly different this film is from the rest of his body of work... and yet it is still the quality of work I have come to expect from him.
The only real issue I really have with 'There Will Be Blood' is PTA's choice of not aging Paul Dano along with the rest of the cast for the film's finale. I have pondered the possible reasons for that choice over and over again and just can't reconcile it.
Other elements worthy of mention: Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood's avant-garde/minimalist score, very strong supporting cast and an opus of a screenplay from PTA.