There Will Be Blood

“I am a false prophet; God is a superstition!”

There Will Be Blood is Paul Thomas Anderson’s Sistine Chapel

Based on the novel Oil by Upton Sinclair, Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece There Will Be Blood follows the life of oil man Daniel Plainview (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) and his business pursuits over the course of the early 20^th Century. The story follows his life over the course of two decades, concentrating on his wealth and relations with those around him, including his son and the charismatic preacher Eli Sunday (played by Paul Dano).

Without spoiling the incredibly simple plot of the film, I want to give an idea of what this film does for the viewer. The most underlying theme in this film was greed. How much of your own humanity are you willing to sacrifice to get exactly what you want exactly when you want it? Daniel Day-Lewis, arguably one of the most brilliant actors in the industry, radiates every aspect of greed imaginable through his character and effectively makes the audience empathize with many of his actions. One of his actions in pursuing his interests involves joining an evangelical church in order to placate the religious community of the town he plans to drill. The preacher of the church, Eli Sunday, is also revealed to be equally as greedy. Paul Dano gives an explosive performance as the charismatic preacher, whose character is seems easily less human from the beginning than the obviously greedy Plainview. The highlight of the nearly three-hour-long film is the last scene – where the incredible chemistry between Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano explodes on screen, and resonating the quote for which this film will surely be remembered – “I am a false prophet; God is a superstition!”. While Daniel Day-Lewis easily earned his Oscar, I find it shameful that Paul Dano wasn’t recognized this year with a Best Supporting Actor nomination; his work was explosive, real, and inspiring.

The film itself is should be a definite awe for film students and those who appreciate the actual art of filmmaking. Paul Thomas Anderson created a masterpiece down to every detail. Obviously, he did his homework in reproducing the visuals of the time period. The costumes, scenery, the way people talked, props, and virtually everything else that might overt your eyes from Daniel Day-Lewis was done so meticulously that one might think he is actually in the setting. All of this moves along very well with the plot, and the obvious visual motif – the oil – complements the most underlying theme of the film. The entire composition, from beginning to end, was absolutely breathtaking, and I would not be surprised if some years down the line critics and scholars begin likening the composition of this film to that of Citizen Kane; let me be one of the firsts!

I am very hard to please, and I have been known to be a harsh grader with films, so please take note this rare occurrence: This film has pleased me on so many levels. And, for this, I give it a solid A.