A mind-blowing masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (22 February 2008)

Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood is a stunning achievement on multiple levels that overlap and dissipate in the mind of the viewer. After seeing it the first time, I walked out of the theater bewildered and amazed. Certainly I had seen a great film; the cinematography, editing, direction, writing and acting were all the finest offered by American cinema. Yet, I wasn't entirely ready for the viewing. I had hardly heard of Anderson prior to this, so I couldn't put the film in its proper context.
Having now seen all five of Anderson's features, I am still totally enthralled but also more knowledgeable of what his vision was and what it means. The main theme is the battle between two of America's central elements: capitalism vs. religion. Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) represents the former, shown as a giant of biblical proportions with and evil and demonic twist. Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) is the latter; smaller, weaker yet just as ambitious and pragmatic. Each side knows what it wants and is willing to go to any lengths to get it. The main problem lies within the conflict that arises from them getting in each others way. There is also the notion of parental neglect, something Anderson visits frequently in his work, and the effect it has on both the child and parent.
As if the thematic material wasn't rich enough, Anderson has also crafted a finely-tuned piece of cinema that fits together like a classical opera. Each element is richly photographed by the great Robert Elswitt and sublimely edited by Dylan Tichenor. Anderson was fortunate in casting Day-Lewis, perhaps the Marlon Brando of this generation, and he uses him most advantageously. From the opening sequence, we understand this character is larger than life, fully formed and able to cause growth and pain simultaneously. Day-Lewis plays him full of fire, passion and blood-thirst in a performance that certainly won't be equaled for quite a few years. Anderson's direction also deserves praise. He maintains the pace and plot quite nicely, never letting it run off the tracks until it needs to; the final sequence. Many have criticized this move but after multiple viewings I think it was correctly done in order to show the final panorama of influence Plainview had on this community.
This is not a film for the general audience, and I would advise anyone who is not a serious cinema lover to watch it. At times, it is quite confounding and like most of Anderson's work it can seem very pretentious. Still, if you are ready and willing to go down this dark path of American greed, cynicism and spirituality, Anderson and Day-Lewis are willing to take you there.