There will be blood

Undoubtedly one of the most well received movies of the year is There will be blood based on Upton Sinclair’s book Oil. It was adapted for the screen and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is a searing and visceral movie about Daniel Plainview, an oilman, in his own words. It depicts his rise from miner to oil magnate. Much of the story takes place in a town called Little Boston with its newly discovered reserves of oil. Plainview, along with his son H.W. in tow swoops into town and buys up acres of land in order to be the sole owner of the oil. Plainview despite his claims to be a plain speaking man is deceitful, cunning and completely unafraid to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, even if this means committing the foulest of deeds. Perhaps the least of the number of faults that he has is his inability to keep his word. But for this he earns the enmity of Eli, the son of the original homesteader who is also the fire and brimstone preacher of the town. Plainview's unparalleled success is only matched by the depths of depravity that he is capable of.
This movie is dominated by the tour de force performance of Daniel Day Lewis who won the 2008 Oscar for best actor. His performance is all the more convincing for the absence of any superfluous theatrics or acting tics on his part. Instead he completely inhabits the role of Plainview. Perhaps because it was an awe inspiring performance, actor Paul Dano (who previously played in Little Miss Sunshine) in his role as the preacher gives a spirited performance that holds its own against that of Day Lewis. Together the two play against each other beautifully and to the audience’s great benefit. The film likewise benefits from a well written script and brilliant cinematography that captures the barrenness of the land and the harshness of a life dependent on oil. There are no joyful moments in this movie. What we get instead is a scary portrait of greed and evil. Nowhere is this more evident than in the scene where there is a fierce blaze of fire as the oil is wrenched from the land and by the light of such fire, we witness the triumphant glee on Plainview’s face as he beholds the instrument of his ascension.