Review of There Will Be Blood (2007) by Campbell P — 30 Aug 2015

There Will Be Blood is the perfect example of too much greed can lead to insanity and self destruction. Through a fantastic, haunting performance by Daniel Day Lewis, we are told the story of Daniel Plainview.

At first, Plainview is seen as a prospector mining for silver and acts like an honest man. When he discovers silver ore down in his well that he dug he starts a revolution of digging for what will become an oil revolution.

This movie has one of those plots that you won't fully understand unless you watch the movie. It has an unexplainable plot because of how much is put into this film and it's great! There's so much that is added together to make the plot of There Will Be Blood.

There's the schemes that Plainview uses using his son, the conflict between him and Eli, and the greed that takes over Plainview. The movie starts off with barely any dialogue until the 25 minute mark and it didn't even need words to catch interest because the whole time I was trying to figure out what kind of man Daniel was.

He took care of the baby whose dad was killed in a mining accident and takes him under for what seems at first the right reason but then develops into slimy business work. At the beginning it seems like it's cute to show he has a business partner but in the end it's just downright sinister.

The story takes a humongous turn of pace within the second act when they finally strike an oil explosion which leads to the downfall but ultimate climb in wealth for Daniel. Day Lewis is clearly the best person for a film such as this because he's able to take control of a movie from his performance.

This film is so character driven that it's impossible not to admire what he's doing or how he's acting. Paul Dano also gives a fantastic performance by playing the church prophet who gets in the way of Daniel's schemes often.

Their onscreen conflicts are so interesting and yet very tame. There's very few moments up until the very end where they physically fight back and forth it's all a mental game of who will be on top in the end.

The ultimate wrap up of this film is worth the price of admission. Everything I wanted to happen in this ending happened and it was perfect. It was a 20 minute one on one with Eli and Daniel and this is where the two characters shine the most.

This scene of insanity proves how far Daniel will go for what he wants and his income. This film starts off with kind of a hopeful tone and ends on a sinister and dark tone. When a film can throw a humongous genre curveball in there it really shows how far good writing goes in cinema.

The one complaint I have is that it does carry on a bit long and that there should've been more of the soundtrack included because a few scenes felt a little bare from a silent background. Overall though, There Will Be Blood has a phenomenal performance by lead Daniel Day Lewis, a great script, a cool soundtrack, and memorable characters.

I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!! B+.