Writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson has certainly established himself within the art of filmmaking. He has shown a unique talent when it comes to cinematic storytelling that can’t be questioned. Critics and moviegoers alike have flocked to his work singing their praises. That being said, I have to admit that I am a little lukewarm when it comes to Paul Thomas Anderson’s films. But I also have to admit that his 2007 masterpiece “There Will Be Blood” is sheer motion picture brilliance both in terms of writing and presentation. Loosely based on a 1927 Upton Sinclair novel, “There Will Be Blood” is a mesmerizing period drama and character study that I’ve never been able to let go of.
Now let me go ahead and get something out of the way. The biggest reason this movie is so profound is because of Daniel Day-Lewis’ towering performance. Now there’s no denying Anderson’s wonderful script and his brilliant use of the camera, but it’s Day-Lewis who dominates every scene with a performance that I believe is one of the best of all time. He plays Daniel Plainview, a shamelessly amoral oilman Seeking wealth during the California oil boom. He’s tipped off about a possible motherload of oil resting beneath the small and poor community of Little Boston, California. He heads there along with his adopted son H.W. (Dillon Freasier) to get drilling rights through any ruthless tactic necessary.
While in the Little Boston, Plainview runs into Eli (Paul Dano), an equally manipulative man who is the leader of the small charismatic congregation. I am no fan of Paul Dano, but he does a serviceable job playing this sniveling, disgusting huckster. There are several see where his performance really stands out. But he also has the unenviable job of sharing scenes with Day-Lewis and he’s often times not up to the task. The two characters but heads on numerous occasions as each seek their own ambitions regardless of who they must mislead to do it. It’s truly fascinating to watch and Anderson weaves several of his familiar themes throughout the unfolding of these characters.
But it’s the Plainview character that I keep coming back to. He’s certainly a vile and contemptible man. But there are other moments where he is so convincing that even the audience almost buys into what he saying. There are also scenes such as where he threatens an abusive father that adds to the overall complexity of this character. Day-Lewis channels all of this through a rugged and worn exterior mixed with a convincing John Huston-like voice that fits the character perfectly. Watching this great actor open up and dissect this character Is like watching a master hone his craft. He loses himself in the character and and we the audience are treated to a delightful experience.
I do want to take a little time to talk about the visuals. Anderson does a great job portraying a dirty and almost desolate environment. The Texas landscape works perfectly with the film’s tone and the camera captures it well. There are scenes that feature an almost poetic fluidity with the camera as well as some beautiful tracking shots. I also love the peculiar yet menacing soundtrack from Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. The music lingers behind the scenes in an almost subtle way. But there are also specific moments where the music almost overtakes the scene yet it feels strikingly perfect. All of this works in unison to create a lively vibe yet disturbing undercurrent.
I truly love “There Will The Blood”. And while I won’t be mistaken for Paul Thomas Anderson’s biggest fan, this movie unequivocally proves to me that he is a genius filmmaker. It works on almost every level and I even found it’s scrutinized ending to be great fun. But more than anything it is another example of the brilliance of Daniel Day-Lewis. He won the Academy award for his performance and rightfully so. He drives this movie and you can’t take your eyes off of him. Combine that with Anderson’s creative prowess and you have a movie that will stay with me forever – a true classic.
VERDICT – 5 STARS
keithandthemovies.com 
Love this film. It’s my second favorite PTA movie after Magnolia and is one of the best character studies ever. Nice review.
Appreciate that! It’s really one of my favorite movies and definitely one of my favorite performances. I’ve probably seen it 10 times now and still enjoyed revisiting for this review. Unfortunately my wife is getting a little tired of it.
Great review Keith. Really is a great film and an absolutely mindblowing performance from Day-Lewis. I went into this knowing virtually nothing about it aside from some recommendations and I thought it was brilliant.
I agree with everything you said. Mind blowing it’s a good way to put it. He truly is a master working in a craft that he is certainly comfortable in. Appreciate you checking out the review.
This is a flawless film. I revisited it over the summer and loved it even more the second time around. Nice take on this one, Keith.
Thanks! It’s brilliant in every sense of the word! Love it!
A true classic, indeed, Keith. Anderson – though you admit to not being a big fan – is a genius filmmaker. I think between this, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and The Master, he’s created a filmography that should put him amongst the all time greats. Those are four challenging films with great characters… and all superbly put together. This is a great great movie indeed.
Day Lewis is incredible, isnt he? LOL
Thanks! This is a real gem. I’m not as high on Boogie Nights and was a little mixed on The Master. But this film completely blew me away when I first saw it several years ago. Amazing filmmaking!
I recently did director’s piece of PTA and this is all I said: This is as close to perfection as any movie can ever get. In Every. Single. Aspect. This is my second favorite movie of all time and Daniel Day-Lewis’ portrayal of Daniel Plainview is ‘THE Best Individual Performance I have Ever seen’. So, this is where I run out to the street and start screaming “PTA Is God !! PTA Is God !!”.
That’s all.
Ok, so what did you think of the movie? 😉
Damn, still need to see this 😀
Yessss! You do! That is your new movie assignment! See it quickly!
I still haven’t seen this either Tim… but Keith you made such a convincing case man! I actually still have to catch up on PTA’s work, I’ll probably start w/ Magnolia.
Hope you catch up with this soon. Would love to hear your thoughts. I’m still not a huge PRA fan mainly because of his occasional dependence on rough subject matter. But this is just brilliant. I adore this picture.
Glad you loved it. I love it as well and it’s one of my favorites. I think DDL’s performance is the best I’ve seen ever. Perfect movie.
Isn’t it great? I have probably seen it 10 times now and I am still taken with it each time.
Definitely. Very powerul film.
Good review Keith. One of the greatest performances of all-time, and DDL’s best, as well. I know a lot of people think it’s over-the-top, hammy, and pure Oscar-bait, but DDL plays it so great, you can’t even discriminate against it in the end.
Thanks man! I’m such a fan of the movie. I had given it a short review when I first started blogging. But it’s definitely worth a few more words. Love it.
Reading this going YES YES YES YES YES YES to most of what you write. Great film!
Thanks bro! It’s a brilliant movie that I adore!
5 stars you say brother? I couldn’t agree more. Great write-up man.
Thanks. A definite 5 star film for me. I’ve seen it so many times yet I could pop it in right now and be completely absorbed.