There Will be Blood (2007)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson (based on the novel by Upton Sinclair) 
Cast: Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano
Music: Jonny Greenwood
Time: 158 minutes
Bottom-line: There will be...a standing ovation for DDL!

By 2007 the world knew Daniel Day Lewis was undoubtedly one of the best Hollywood actors of all time, and in There Will be Blood, he proves it yet again. This historical drama by Paul Thomas Anderson is the story of a businessman/family man, who tries to balance his duties as both. The film was nominated for eight Oscars, winning two (Best Actor and Cinematography).

The film starts in the year 1898 but quickly shifts to 1902, when Daniel Plainview (DDL), a silver miner finds oil near Los Angeles. Soon after setting up a small drilling company, a worker dies, and Daniel adopts his son, and names him H.W (Dillon Freasier), thus becoming a “family man”. In 1911, Daniel is approached by Paul Sunday (Dano), who claims that his family property holds oil, and offers to sell it at a bargain price. However Paul’s twin, Eli (also Dano), is greedy and demands $10000 for the church for which he is a pastor. The remainder of the film is about how Daniel expands his oil business, and how it starts to affect the relationship with his son, his animosity towards Eli, and ultimately, his own life.

DDL as Plainview

There’s no clear cut plot in There Will be Blood. It is more of a case study of a businessman/father. We see the life of Daniel from 1989 to 1927, where he starts by being a silver miner all by himself, then slowly building up on his hard work in search of oil, in the process becoming a family man, and later dissolving all other needs to give full priority to his business, and finally becoming a raging solitary (but opulent) alcoholic. The timeline is chosen to match with Southern California’s oil boom; in fact, Sinclair’s book is based on the oil tycoon Edward Doheny (the basis for Plainview’s character). Throughout the film we see the change in Daniel’s character from a doting father, to someone who abandons his deaf son, and again establishes a relationship after accepting (in a humiliating fashion too) that he is a bad father, and finally cuts it off completely by informing his son that he is an orphan.

Dano as Eli

The best part of the film – and the reason why most people (myself included) choose to watch the film – is the acting. Daniel Day Lewis plays, with impeccable style, the oil merchant, and Paul Dano, in probably his career best performance, plays (mainly) Eli, the pastor/nemesis of Daniel. DDL did extensive research on the life of Doheny, and also modified his voice accordingly, to suit the role. The end result is yet another gem of a performance, and as a viewer you just automatically feel like applauding and showering praise for him. The body language, the accent, and overall presentation of Daniel Plainview set the standard for “good acting”. The final encounter between Plainview and Eli in the bowling alley will haunt you for a long time!

Admittedly Plainview's best quote from
the film. 

The cinematography and period settings are excellent. The background score is chilling at times, but suits the scene perfectly. Few scenes to look out for are the scene where Daniel insults Eli when the latter asks for money, the scene where Daniel is baptised, and the climax in the bowling alley. There Will be Blood is a masterpiece for both DDL and Paul Dano.

My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 91%