#9 - There Will Be Blood

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
2007 Historical Drama
Rated R

**** 1/2

I would like to start out this review by saying that this score is based off of just my initial reaction to the film, and i'm sure that on repeated viewings (as this epic film certainly will require) my score will no doubt fluctuate. This is the kind of film that no one attempts to make anymore; the rise and fall of a tragic hero, whose passion is eventually his downfall. It certainly feels more like a movie that would've been made in 1940 than 2007 (you'll certainly be able to make comparisons to Citizen Kane, for one). There Will Be Blood tells the story of Daniel Plainview, an oil man who slowly builds himself up to one of the richest in the country. That's all i'm going to give you about the plot, because in all honesty, that's not really important. The movie is less about the plot than it is about how Plainview is created (and then destroyed) by his obsession. Obviously what holds this entire movie together is the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis; he has proved time and again why he is one of (if not the) best actors working today, and I have a feeling he will be remembered for this performance more than anything else. Yes, much of the performance is scenery-chewing, but that's what the character is. He had to chew the scenery every time he went to make an offer on an oil well; that was how he sold his customers. Paul Dano is also very good, proving that his great performance in Little Miss Sunshine certainly wasn't a fluke. A lot of the reviews you read of this film are certainly going to say that the movie goes incredibly off the wall in the last 20 or so minutes, so much that it takes away from the greatness of the rest of the film. I cannot, after just one viewing, say whether or not I agree with this. All I will say for now is that this is, at worst, a flawed masterpiece. At best, it is one of the best films in years.