There Will Be Blood

Before actually seeing There Will Be Blood earlier tonight I had a ton of preconceived notions about what the film was going to look and feel like. I even had an idea of how I was going to write this first paragraph. What I didn’t consider was how the movie would change my mood and in turn my writing. The ending, just like No Country For Old Men, is bound to have some people upset and I’m surprised I didn’t hear anything about that beforehand. Thankfully I didn’t and because of this I won’t discuss what happens at all - not even a clue.

The audience I was with didn’t have any idea what was about to hit them. The group of 13-year-old girls was the first indication of that. Five seconds into the movie I heard a voice cry out over the audience. “Yeah, great movie!”Obviously this person was expecting something closer to Little Miss Sunshine than I was. This isn’t something that a typical moviegoer will like because most people won’t have the patience. It’s common knowledge that audiences are looking more and more for a quick fix rather than to escape for a little while like it was back in the 1940’s.

One of the most obvious standout aspects of the film besides its length is the cinematography. Those of you who saw even the first 30 minutes of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love will understand how this visual style is implemented throughout the various scenes. He has a great eye for setting up a scene that is visually interesting and more importantly - practical. It never reaches the point of obscurity where you no longer understand what is going on, a problem many new directors face. They want to break new ground but instead ends up breaking the pacing of the film. Oh, and then there is the score by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. I heard the soundtrack before seeing the film and rehearing these songs with visual images was much more rewarding. It added a lot to the film, not that I expected anything less.

It seems like the last few movies I’ve seen have all been the standout performances of last year. Eastern Promises (more on that in a few days), Juno, and No Country For Old Men all have their individual stand out actors and actresses respectively. After seeing There Will Be Blood I now understand why Daniel Day-Lewis is winning all of the awards instead. His performance is chillingly authentic and unforced. Without this type of performance There Will Be Blood would have fallen flat. It takes you out of theater and into the story with ease.

The movie follows Daniel Plainview’s quest to become successful in the oil business. Unlike many other people in his occupation he isn’t in it for the money. He merely doesn’t like to see other people become successful or to put it in simple terms, he doesn’t like other people in general. Daniel goes through many hardships throughout the film but somehow manages to come out on top of them every time. He is very self-centered and even when you think he is being caring he has another hidden agenda in mind. This is mainly how he can get through those thick and thin moments. These mishaps are what continually drive the movie forward and allow it to maintain its long running length. Each reveal a little more about the characters we see on screen.

The last question that remains is where it falls in my list of best movies from last year. While I won’t be going back to edit that list I can say that There Will Be Blood would place within that top ten. I haven’t let the movie sink in enough to really place it yet, though. Honestly the combination of Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Thomas-Anderson is worth the purchase price alone. Paul Dano also leads a great supporting cast (detrimental to any great picture). This movie deserves all the praise it has received but the actors deserve more. Hopefully the next review I write (not counting Eastern Promises) will stop making me sound like a broken record.