Review of There Will Be Blood (2007) by Gilbertkz . — 20 Nov 2013

The story of There Will Be Blood begins and ends, essentially, with a liquid getting on someone's boot. Funny, how Paul Thomas Anderson can make a moment so small and subtle be so important. Many people won't catch this, and truth be told, many people won't understand much of the film.

That's not me bragging about my own intelligence, it's me applauding PTA, the brilliant writer/director of this and other masterpieces like Magnolia and Boogie Nights. Even with as seemingly broad a movie as this, he can make it so subtle, so haunting, so intense, that it gets right under your skin and stays there.

TWBB is not as great or as perfect as I foolishly hoped it would be, but that doesn't detract from the fact that this is a masterpiece, and PTA deserves all the accolades he's been getting. At the center of the attention is Daniel Day Lewis, who as you well know by now, delivers a powerhouse performance.

It really is a show-stopper. His character of Daniel might seem one-dimensional to some, but he is in fact very complex, and DDL shows us this without ever telling us this. With a twitch of the eye, or the faintest hint of a smile, we gradually see what's going on in Daniel Plainview's head, and it's not pleasant.

Really - how ballsy is it, to make a big epic film where the main character is a despicable louse? Plainview doesn't always seem to be such an asshole, but by the end he's a snivering, selfish, monstorous bully, and we get to watch that degrading with building unease.

Watching this character is like seeing a train wreck in slow-motion. It's a fascinating character we don't often see in films, and made even more fascinating by DDL's pitch perfect performance.

The other performances in the film are good as well - Paul Dano was rather unnerving, and I thought the young child who played DDL's son was really good. Speaking of Paul Dano, I felt what was a flaw in the film was having him also play Eli's twin brother.

The movie never really explains this, and while I eventually figured it out, I could feel the confusion in the audience and I thought things would be far better if a different actor played this character (then again, it does make the ending even more poignant, and even gives the possibility of them being the same person.

..). As I've said many times before, Paul Thomas Anderson is a God among insects, and this film further proves that. It's one of the most well-shot flicks I've seen in a long time. PTA is the Master of the tracking shots, and in this movie, every shot was perfectly composed, perfectly lined up, always moved and panned and tracked in ways I didn't expect but were absolutely stunning.

There's one scene where an oil derrick blows up, and not only is it a catalyst for the emotional dissolving of Daniel's character, but it's one of the most well directed scenes you'll ever see.

The way the camera moves, the lighting, the intensity, the danger, the suspense, the music...it all combines into something that'll blow you away. So his direction (and the cinematography), is amazing.

The music has also been the subject of much appraisal. I'm not as in love with it as many people are - on solo listen, it's rather painful, but during the movie it does add a definite sense of constant unease, tension, and is just plain bizarre (although there were times it was too close to the music in The Shining, and took me out a bit).

The screenplay, as expected, is wonderful, but also is the result of one of my biggest problems with the film. The first hour and a half are just about perfect. PTA has a knack for writing lyrical, beautiful dialogue that nevertheless sounds completely realistic.

But then I felt the focus was lost, a little. The conflict between Eli and Daniel, which is by far the most interesting aspect of the story, is neglected as Daniel is met with his long-lost brother. The scenes they share allow him to confide his hatred in people and we really get to see inside Daniel's psyche more, but there were times I was starting to feel antsy, and wished the movie would go back to Eli and Daniel's relationship.

However, the storyline with his brother has a startling end, and it makes the audience gasp even though it's actually to be expected. I thought this would signal the return of Eli, and indeed the baptismal scene which follows immediately after is a masterwork of over-the-top yet still subtle acting - watch DDL's face as he both mocks what's going on and is being torn up inside.

But then Eli disappears again, replaced by DDL's son returning (he had sent him away because he couldn't deal with his new-found handicap), and they don't really meet again until the last scene of the film.

I dunno....I felt this last half of the second act was a little disjointed and not focused as strongly in the right places as it should be. Nevertheless, we are then led into act 3, which is a source of frustration with many people.

Me - I loved it, and it's what makes this movie go from 4 stars to 4.5. What an audacious, ballsy, innovative way to end the film. I'll try not to reveal too much, but let me say that after watching this man slowly descend into madness and wealth for 2 hours, it all culminates in secrets revealed, revelations made, and violent punishing of sins.

If I told you that the confrontational last scene in this huge, beautifully shot period piece epic took place in a make-shift bowling alley, would you be surprised, confused, disappointed? I rejoiced.

How wonderful that a filmmaker can dare to go where we least expect, and maybe don't even want. DDL's final speech is both comical and poignant, and I was reminded of the ending of Aguirre, where things start to become loose from reality and enter this poetic realm of horror.

The final scenes probably aren't perfect, and surprisingly this points to Daniel Day Lewis himself, who I thought went too far in his depiction in these final scenes and especially his old-man walk is about as convincing as ten year old's pretending to be an old man in a school play.

But it was audacious, it was strangely beautiful, it was shocking, and it was the best way possible to end this story. All in all, There Will Be Blood is a wonderful film, one that will stick with you and won't ever be forgotten.

It's not the best film PTA has done; actually, it's not even the second best film he's done. But taking this movie into account with Magnolia and Boogie Nights, I don't think it's hard to say that when Scorsese and Spielberg die, our world will have a new Filmmaking Master.