Not as good as I expected

Rating: 6/10 (19 January 2008)

***Spoilers are minor***
I was keyed up for this film that is getting so much press and am a great admirer of Daniel Day-Lewis (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father) but the whole effort left me dissatisfied and I will attempt to explain why.
First of all the best parts:
The cinematography was magnificent, vast swathes of barren land with primitive oil derricks being pumped by hand, old trains moving across the parched landscape, hasty tent-towns constructed, etc.
I enjoyed the music, although periodically it seemed at odds with the script, which could have been intentional but occasionally, I was drawn away from the film by this. An underused Ciaran Hinds is in a sidekick role, beautifully played.
The less than best:
The oddly lifeless script and the persona of John Huston channelled by Daniel D-L in the part of Daniel Plainview. Paul Dano, playing the parts of two brothers, overacted to the point of irritation at times.
There are no women in any kind of part in this movie and this results in a regrettable off balance. Surely the men had needs?
There is virtually no plot but the drama is not character driven either. Daniel is narcissistic and avaricious from the outset and remaines unchanged at the end when he sets up his nemesis, Eli, to deny the existence of God. Earlier Daniel had been set up to get baptized and admit his wrongdoings towards his son. Payback. Shrug.
Overall:
There are touching scenes between father and son which are negated subsequently. At the end I had to admit to a feeling of total disengagement from the movie I had just seen.
It is hard to care for such a completely narcissistic and greedy character as Daniel Plainview. Much will be made of the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis, Oscar bells are sounding already, and while I found myself admiring his consummate skill as an actor, I was disenchanted with the material he was working with. 6 out of 10.