subject: There Will Be Blood Could Be Masterpiece Material [print this page] Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the more artistic directors out there today. He holds a very notable distinction in that his films have all received positive reviews. His film, There Will Be Blood, however, is his masterpiece. At least until he does another movie.
There Will Be Blood tells the story of Daniel Plainview, and oil driller and businessman. Plainview is an eloquent and intelligent man, and often subtly dupes those he does business with. He never outright rips them off, instead only shaving off extra profit by not giving them all the facts. His partner and adopted son H.W. is not viewed by Plainview as his son, but as a tool to sell his family man image to those he wishes to buy land from for drilling. Plainview, however, meets his intellectual match in the form of Eli Sunday, a young man who strikes a deal with Daniel that soon becomes a rivalry, as Sunday sees through Plainview's act, as Plainview sees through Eli's religious exterior, when in all actuality Eli is a religious swindler who seeks fame and influence.
The film spans across approximately twenty to thirty years, but taking place mostly in the 1910s. Daniel Plainview is played to misanthropic perfection by Academy Award winner Daniel Day Lewis. Lewis' performance as Plainview puts the audience in the shoes of the people who meet Plainview. In early scenes where he speaks, Plainview shows a convincing performance as a family man who cares for his son and wants to get his customers a good deal. It is only as the film progresses, and Daniel's "behind closed doors" persona emerges, revealing a devious, deceitful, and obsessively competitive side. As Plainview even puts it in one film, he has a competition inside of himself, and wants nobody to succeed. Being number one does not please him because he wants to be the ONLY one.
The film, like many of Anderson's others, uses imagery more than words to tell the story. You can read each character's thoughts on screen without them having to say a word. A glance from the character makes them an open book to the audience. However, when words are spoken, to those who are into this sort of thing, it becomes easily one of the most quotable films of the last ten years.
In all, There Will Be Blood is a beautiful character driven film that should be seen by anyone who takes film seriously.
