Review of There Will Be Blood (2007) by Joseph C — 21 Apr 2013

There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Anderson, is a modern day classic. It visits themes that are deeply rooted in our human psyche and exposes them as the insanities that they truly are. It also happens to be an incredibly well made film with many aspects that make it a film worth watching. The aspects that make this a film worth watching are; its impressive cinematography, its well written screenplay containing classic story elements and themes, and its powerful convincing performances.

One of the major aspects of this film that make this a film worth watching is its impressive cinematography. One of the scenes that first pops into mind when discussing the cinematography of this film is the opening scene in the mine. It starts out with no words or explanation with a simple, sweeping shot as the main character is mining. The screen is very dark and his outline is lit up by the sparks that fly from his pick axe. The contrast of lighting down in the mine is beautiful, and that scene alone is reason enough to continue watching. Another scene that stood out as a prime example of the stunning cinematography is the scene where there was a fire and the oil burst from the well and was lit. Then as the sun went down the only light for miles was the fire. The camera did a panning shot across the horizon focusing on the fire and also showing the dancing profiles of two characters talking and cheering. This shot is one of the best of the whole movie and stands out as an example of startling good cinematography. This film is worth watching because of the stellar cinematography throughout.

The screenplay for this film also makes a compelling statement that this is a film worth viewing. There are many themes present in this film, however the most prominent and evident one is that of greed and envy. Throughout the story we see Plainview (the main character) engage in a constant pursuit of more and more money. In the beginning he nearly dies in a mine after he breaks his leg on the poorly constructed ladder. However his greed drives him too drag himself out of the mine, through the desert, and to the store where he can sell the nuggets of gold he mined that day. Then he is seen going town to town trying to get more investors in an already booming oil industry. He is compelled by his greed to use his "son" as means of making him a more appealing and trustworthy figure. Then he is given a tip on where he can find a desert full of oil. When he looks into this the story and the greed really take off. At this town he sets himself up as a savior to the people, providing them with jobs and industry. While this is true, it is simply a side effect of his desire for more oil and more money. Then a local pastor attempts to bless the well, a power play admittedly, but Plainview shuts him down, his greed and envy not allowing him to let anyone else share the spotlight. However the two most shining examples of the greed and envy theme in this film are when Plainview is approached by his brother, and when his son decides to join the business. When Plainview is approached by his brother he initially accepts him as a business partner. However he soon finds out that his real brother is dead and that this is an imposter. This causes him to envy and distrust a man who he grew quite close to. At this point, overcome with envy, he killed the man he treated as a brother, all over his love of money. Then, later in the movie, his son approached him and told him he had aspirations to start his own oil business. At this point Plainview's envy and paranoia of competition caused him to disown his son. He told him, in a crushing manner, that he wasn't even his son, that he had just used him to get investors. At this point we see the true extent of Plainview's greed. He would disown his own son simply over fear of competition. The deep resonating themes of greed and envy that take part throughout this well written screenplay make this a compelling film and one that is well worth watching.

The powerful performances in this film are one reason that this film is worth watching. Two of the most outstanding performances in the film are by Daniel Day-Lewis as Plainview and Paul Dano as Eli Sunday. Daniel Day-Lewis brings a breathtaking and powerful performance to the screen as per usual. He is at once a charismatic leader and entrepreneur and a paranoid, greedy, cruel, and calculating tycoon. He plays each side of this coin so well, with his rage fueled rants causing shivers down the spine. And yet at the same time he manages to pull us towards him, as a rather quiet but polite and tactful businessman with a vision for a brighter future. This side of him hides his true character though. And Day-Lewis plays this so well that the viewer is altogether convinced that he truly is an oil-man from the olden days, as opposed to a big Hollywood movie star. Then there is the understated performance by Paul Dano. He plays a preacher for a small town, who is so self-righteous that he views himself as a modern day prophet, even going so far as to attempt to heal people. His performance is incredibly compelling due to how much it makes you hate and detest his character. It makes you see Plainview as the inspiring hero character, which is impressive considering how many reprehensible acts we have seen performed by him. He plays a weasel of a man, who seems to inspire people religiously, but at the same time seems to have no redeemable qualities. His performance embodies a character that manages to make the audience truly hate him. There is no recognition of the actor beyond that of the character Eli. We don't see him as an actor playing a role, he is Eli and we hate him for it. It is the fantastic portrayals done by actors in this movie that make it such an interesting, and rich film and that make it a film worth watching.

In conclusion There Will Be Blood is a rich, well-woven film that is worth watching. It hits on so many deep-set and primal emotions while at the same time causing the audience to evaluate themselves and ask if they too are as greedy and envious as the main characters. The lush cinematography, the powerful themes of the screenplay, and the convincing performances by the actors make this a film worth viewing. There Will Be Blood embodies its ominous title and delivers on its promise as it makes its way through its tension filled 158 minutes. It truly is a film worth spending the time on, the two and a half hours could not be better invested.