A Modern Masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (24 June 2011)

There is a way to turn storytelling into true art through the use of a camera. Paul Thomas Anderson understands exactly how and he has proved again and again that he is a master of powerful, moving, aesthetically brilliant storytelling. His most recent film was the 2007 period piece There Will Be Blood. The film is about business man Daniel Plainview, played by Daniel Day-Lewis in one of the greatest performances of the 21st century. Plainview starts out as a dirt poor oil field worker who grows into a deranged and greedy oil man who plays a vicious game of deceit and treachery with a poor town whose devout faith is the only thing that keeps them all going. It is the complex tale of one man's rise to power and descent into greedy insanity. It boasts a kind of intelligence that modern American cinema rarely achieves. This is a film that feels like it should have been made decades ago during the fruition of the American movie industry, yet instead it was made in 2007 and has successfully revitalized the potential of American filmmaking.
There Will Be Blood succeeds so extravagantly as a careful blend between artistic imagery and cinematography and sincere storytelling. This films story is strictly for intellectuals. It doesn't spell out anything for the viewer and it doesn't hold your hand as you watch it. You have to absorb the film rather than just watch it. It is subtle and quiet and yet so enthralling and so moving. The film's incredible focus drives home all of its meaning and messages. It isn't just the story of one man's trial and tribulations in the oil industry. It is a story of greed, obsession, cruelty, and faith. The film cleverly blends two different lifestyles, one of the stalwart business man and one of devout religious passion into an ingenious story of ambition versus faith. Few films are able to so intelligently tell a story of such calibre against such an unlikely backdrop.
It is one thing to be able to piece such a sophisticated story together, it is another to tell that story in such an artistic and captivating way as Paul Thomas Anderson's direction of There Will Be Blood. The cinematography of this film is incredible and Anderson's camera work is astounding to a cinematically intellectual eye. His camera movement is so subtle yet so brilliant in its quiet complexities that you are driven to feel so much more emotion and captivation while watching this movie than you would expect. The sweeping pans, the immaculate wide shots, the enthralling close-ups, are all what make There Will Be Blood such a subtly excellent work of art. This film demands a higher level of appreciation and I can easily say that it isn't for everybody. It works on such low key levels that it unexpectedly grabs hold of you carries you along for almost three hours of pure captivation.
There Will Be Blood is a prime example of modern aesthetic storytelling. The film is practically flawless in its execution and it achieves all of what it set out to do. It makes you think and it also mystifies your eyes as you gaze into its immaculate lens. And with the addition of Anderson's fancy script and Daniel Day-Lewis' magnificent performance you've got yourself a modern American masterpiece.