There Will Be Blood

Most will agree that Daniel Day-Lewis is in the uppermost echelon of working actors today, if not the best. Unfortunately, he only appears every few years to appear in a film, so when he does it becomes a big deal. Couple his return to screens with the first Paul Thomas Anderson film since 2002’s underwhelming PUNCH DRUNK LOVE and THERE WILL BE BLOOD becomes a must-see sight unseen. Inspired by the Upton Sinclair novel “Oil!”, Anderson’s film is an ambitious work that stretches his abilities as a writer and director, resulting in a piece that may surprise fans of BOOGIE NIGHTS and MAGNOLIA. It is a difficult film to like and the makers don’t do the viewer any favors, but it is an achievement to be respected nonetheless.

Oil man Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis) is an unforgiving man moving from town to town, scavenging for oil wells. He works up from a small, single hand-made well in the middle of nowhere (entrancingly depicted in the film’s prologue, completely devoid of dialogue) to a sizable envoy of men. After receiving an enigmatic tip, Plainview and his young son H.W. (wide-eyed Dillon Fraser) travel to the small Sunday ranch in Little Boston, where Plainview finds “an ocean of oil” beneath their feet. Yet his giant success does not come easy; he finds an enemy in Sunday’s son, self-proclaimed healer and church leader Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), who uses his power to sway members of the congregation for his own vanity and financial needs.

Plainview is not a likable person; in many cases, he is as corrupt and jaded as the film’s supposed villains. Yet Day-Lewis is completely mesmerizing, keeping the viewer enthralled by his sheer determinism and terrifying demeanor. In certain scenes, he emits such a ferocity without words that is truly frightening. As such, the film carries a great deal of suspense, automatically sending viewers into winces and shivers when Day-Lewis turns his eye to madness. His brilliance is perhaps emphasized by Dano, who turns in a rather unintentionally funny performance. As Eli, he is menacing enough and quite effective when performing in his chruch, yet he squeals and twists his face in a manner meant that quickly grows irritating. He suffers when put up against Day-Lewis, whose masterful and polished performance emphasizes the faults in Dano's.

Anderson shows tremendous growth as a director. Completely rejecting the intellectual quirkiness that defined BOOGIE NIGHTS and MAGNOLIA and hampered PUNCH DRUNK LOVE. He immerses his style completely in the era, working with cinematographer Robert Elswit to create a cold, sparse world, a place that perfectly reflects Plainview’s outlook on life. Johnny Greenwood’s unusual and electrifying score keeps the film from becoming just another period piece, emphasizing the alienating and unnerving aspects of the film; a great source of the film’s tension comes from Greenwood’s screeching violins.

The film moves at its own pace, taking more than 2.5 hours to tell its story. The extended sequences of quiet, apart from the wordless dialogue, will likely try the patience of some viewers while thrilling others. Anderson is not afraid to stray from the main storyline, no matter how inconsequential it may seem. Yet there are sequences of sheer brilliance that will stay in memory long after the film is done; the aforementioned prologue, the explosive discovery of oil at the Sunday ranch, Plainview’s humiliating introduction to the church and the curiously-set finale, among many others. THERE WILL BE BLOOD is definitely a film that must be seen to be believed. It will likely have as many lovers as haters, and that is perhaps the clearest sign of its achievement. Anderson and Day-Lewis have contributed outstanding work after long absences. One can only hope their next appearances will not take as long.

***1/2/****