There Will Be Blog: THERE WILL BE BLOOD - the review!

THERE WILL BE BLOOD Review:

- I've reitereated this many times here over the last few months, but I'll say it again: 2007 has been one hell of a year for the movies. And what a way to close out the year - because THERE WILL BE BLOOD is yet another '07 movie that isn't just good, isn't just great, but is an instant-classic that will be discussed, re-watched, and analyzed for years and years to come.

In PT Anderson's latest, we are presented with the story of Daniel Plainview, a man who, when we first meet him, is already well on his way to making a name for himself in the emerging business of oil. As played by Daniel Day Lewis, in a true performance for the ages, Daniel is driven, single-minded, and cold-blooded in his pursuit of success. Going from town to town in the American West, Daniel puts on his best political face and tries to sell the citizens on the great benefits that his oil company setting up shop would bring. Laying the charm on thick, Daniel even uses his admiring nine-year old adopted son, H.W., as yet another weapon in his arsenal - a means of winning over the townsfolk and selling himself as a family man. As the film progresses, however, the facade of Mr. Plainview becomes increasingly exposed - not only is he anything BUT a family man, but Plainview is a man who has become almsot completely detached from the rest of humanity. He's a man nearly incapable of trust, of compassion, of warmth. Slowly but alarmingly, this great entrepeneur of the industrial revolution is becoming a true monster.

And monstrous is exactly what comes to mind when speaking of Daniel Day Lewis in this film. He owns this movie with an iron-clad grip, putting on a performance so powerful, so strong, that it will shake you to your core. This isn't the kind of acting that modern filmgoers are used to - this isn't realism, isn't naturalism. What Lewis does here is instead a complete 180 from most modern film performances - for this is, in all senses of the word, a performance. This is the stuff of Orson Welles and Marlon Brando, of George C. Scott and Charlton Heston and DeNiro and Pacino and Nicholson in their primes. Here, Daniel Day Lewis BECOMES Daniel Plainview, and it is a remarkable and terrifying sight to behold, a true iconic film creation for our time. I don't think there's really any question - hand the man his Best Actor Oscar now, he deserves it. Daniel Day Lewis here reaffirms why he's one of the best.

There are some other very strong performances here as well, but to be honest all are overshadowed by the character of Daniel Plainview and the intensity of Day Lewis. Still, there are several other memorable and striking turns here. Dillon Freasier is pretty haunting as Plainview's doting son, H.W. - perhaps Daniel's one link to humanity, and even this is a fragile link at best, as the movie ultimately reveals. Meanwhile, the part that Paul Dano plays here is certainly one of the film's most controversial aspects, and also one of its most memorable. Dano plays a frontier preacher who in some ways is Plainview's opposite number, yet in some ways his twin. A theatrical prophet who enthralls his congregation with screeching sermons, the character of Eli Sunday is in some ways to the institution of religion as Plainview is to that of industry. Both characters represent the dark side of their respective institutions - they operate under false pretenses, one leading a life of lies and the other a life of greed, both preying on the people who look to them for support. Dano deserves credit for standing out here as he does, but some might say that, even in a movie with such a heightened sense of reality as this one, Dano plays things too over the top. I'm still kind of pondering what I think of the character and of Dano's performance, but I can see how he might have his detractors. Still, without giving away anything ... to me, the film's final confrontation between Eli Sunday and Daniel Plainview - well, it's an epic, hilarious, and terrifying encounter for the ages.

As for Paul Thomas Anderson - he does a masterful job here. What's so interesting is that with There Will Be Blood, PTA has seemingly reinvented himself. Visually, this didn't look anything like Punch Drunk Love or Magnolia. Stylistically, I felt like it had little in common with any of his previous films. And yet, it was the director's best yet, and confirmation that he is up there with the best and brightest filmmakers of this, and maybe of any generation. Here, the direction is sure and confident, mixing iconic closeups of Plainview with picturesque Western landscapes, continuing a visual motif we've seen elsewhere in '07 in the likes of No Country For Old Men and The Assassination of Jesse James. But I think what stands out the most is simply the storytelling at play here. The script is simple and yet memorable, and the act structure paints a vivid picture of the life and times of a distictly American monster - the self made man who's made his great fortune at the expense of all else. There is something that's just pretty brilliant about the pacing of this movie - it doesn't load up on unnecessary details - in fact, much is left quite open for interpretation. But you are given what you need to know to paint a portrait of Plainview, and the moments of his life that are presented to us form a fascinating tapestry. And just one more word about the script ... like I said, it can be understated, but man, some of the dialogue here is absolutely brilliant. This is a movie that will be quoted for a long, long time to come ("I drink your milkshake!" "Why don't I own this?" "I hate most people ...").

I also need to make mention of the film's amazing score, by Jonny Greenwood. The sharp tones and constant intensity of the movie's music create an atmosphere of total tension - even moments that might otherwise seem serene end up brimming with intensity thanks to the score, and it's not only a unique approach but a perfect fit. The music isn't just reinforcing what we ARE seeing at a given moment - it's reflecting on what's happened and hinting at what's to come.

This isn't an easy movie to review. I think there's a lot of depth to this story that I'm only beginning to process, and Daniel Day Lewis' performance can be so overpowering that it's at times difficult to focus on the nuances of the plot or of individual scenes. But in terms of nuances, there are many - from the way that Daniel always walks a step ahead of his young son, despite a bad leg, the way that the stories of Daniel and Eli run in parallel, the transformation of H.W. Plainview from innocent young boy to hardened and resentful adult. There Will Be Blood is an epic of great proportions, a great American story to be sure, but the devil is in the details. I'm still digesting it all, but I'm pretty confiedent in saying that this is a monumental film, highlighted by a timeless performance from Daniel Day Lewis, and a true achievement from PT Anderson. This is one to see, drink in, see again, and appreciate.

My Grade: A