Review of There Will Be Blood (2007) by The Critic ( — 29 Sep 2013

Paul Thomas Anderson presents an incredibly mesmerising story of two men - one driven by greed, the other by faith - and the physical, social, emotional and mental destruction they cause whenever their worlds meet. As Daniel Plainview and Eli Sunday, Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano ignite the screen with an electrifying chemistry borne out of rivalry and spite.

This is, indeed, a movie about flawed men in a harsh man's world. The plot takes cues from assorted Biblical tales such as Cain and Abel and the Prodigal Son, presenting and challenging the notion of faith throughout; disastrous events unfold after a blessing is rejected by Plainview, genuinely triggering the tension between himself and young pastor Eli.

There are great gaps between dialogic scenes (Anderson conservatively sticks to the "show don't tell" rule of the medium) and this is where Johnny Greenwood's score and Robert Elswit's cinematography are truly given their time to shine. But at the heart of the film is, of course, oil; the black gold that is not only the blood of industry but also the source of much bloodshed here. 'There Will Be Blood' is a resounding masterpiece.