It's All Daniel Day-Lewis ...And Rightfully So

Rating: 9/10 (25 May 2008)

Similar to the film CASTAWAY in which Tom Hanks carries the entire production, THERE WILL BE BLOOD has that same air due to the phenomenal performance by Daniel Day-Lewis ...with one big exception. Hanks was alone, so there really was no other supporting cast to compare him against while on his little island (unless you count the volleyball, 'Wilson'). Daniel Day-Lewis was surrounded by a fine cast, but he outshone everyone of them by leagues.
Not surprising, Day-Lewis won every acting award in every awards ceremony in 2007 (from the Oscars on down).
More of a story about greed, There Will Be Blood is also a battle of wills: one with god-fearing faith and the other without. The faithful is represented by a fire-breathing preacher named Eli Sunday (Paul Dano, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE). Apparently an identical twin, Eli's brother Paul finds the successful oil tycoon Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) and offers up his family's ranch in California as a place where "oil runs on the surface of the ground." Daniel and his 'son' head onto the ranch and discover that there is, indeed, a lot of oil to be had. Making an initial promise to Eli that they'll "build a new church" for the local congregation, Daniel sets to work buying up all the surrounding property and dropping his first rig into the ground. Problems quickly arise with Eli, however, who has his own form of greed: the greed of religion. Wanting his money to build his church, Eli inserts himself into Daniel's business and the two quickly bump heads. Bad things begin happening around the new oil derrick: a well-man dies, an explosion and fire, and the sudden head injury of Daniel's son, H.W. Plainview (Dillon Freasier).
The greed of Daniel Plainview knows no bounds, and the internal corruption that it causes is eked out in terrible portions. When Daniel put his son on a train and abandons him, we see that there's much more beneath the surface of this fractured man. Morality isn't something he's familiar with. Eli quickly zeroes in on this and all but forces Daniel to be baptized and saved in order to continue his successful drilling of the area. This is something that will come back and haunt both Eli and Daniel at the end of the film.
Again, it is the awe-invoking performance by Day-Lewis that carries the film throughout its 158 minute length. The other actors do fine jobs, no doubt about it, but they pale in comparison to Day-Lewis' John Huston inspired performance (his voice was impeccable).
This is a pretty dark film with not-just-a-few allusions that lean toward biblical text (many of the character names are taken straight from the bible, including Abel, Mary, Daniel, and Eli). The allusions go deeper than simple names, however, and watching There Will Be Blood one can't help but see them. The great part about this is that the ending doesn't wind up where you think it should. Forget redemption. You'll know how harsh Daniel Plainview's life has become when you hear him say, "I'm finished." {shiver!}