OverlongDrama

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2012)

Based upon the novel by Upton Sinclair, Oil is the story of a ruthless man, Daniel Plainview(Daniel Day-Lewis in his John Huston mimicking role). Daniel discovers an oil field in 1902, the early days of the boom which enriched a few men, like John D. Rockefeller, and others. One of Plainview's workers is killed in an accident and he is adopted by the ambitious prospector, named H.W., and made his partner.
Plainview buys land from Paul and Eli Sunday, for its' oil reserves. Eli is a preacher who wants to use the money to build a church. They find oil and an explosion occurs, which deafens H.W. A man shows up, claiming to be Daniel's half-brother. He asks for a job, and H.W. sets his bed on fire, trying to kill him. His father sends him to a boarding school in San Francisco. Standard Oil makes an offer on Daniel's interests, but he makes a deal with Union to build a pipeline to California. Meanwhile, Henry admits that he is pretending to be related, and that his real half-brother died. Danny boy kills him and buries the body. He later joins a church of holy rollers to further a land deal.
Years later, H.W. has married, and his father has become very wealthy, but reclusive, living alone in a huge mansion. His son asks him to release his partnership, so that he can have a company of his own. Daniel refuses, and this results in a tragic confrontation. Day-Lewis is great, but at over two and a half hours, I was exhausted by the time it finished.