There Will be Blood (***½)
Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love)
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano
Seen: March 9th 2008
***½ Out of ****
Based on Upton Sinclair’s Oil!, this tells of a silver miner turning to oil in a ruthless pursuit of wealth during California’s oil boom of the late 19th & early 20th centuries. “So ladies and gentlemen… if I say I’m an oil man you will agree.” Daniel Day-Lewis proclaims in his Oscar winning performance as Daniel Plainview, the name clearly chosen by him to ease business dealings, but which, eventually, cannot be farther from the truth, his voice almost dripping the oil he eventually sells his soul for.
We open with Plainview prospecting a small self-dug silver-mine. After falling down the shaft and breaking a leg, he drags himself out and back to town with a fragment of ore, showing his intense need and will to succeed. Four years later Plainview is working a primitive oil well with a small team. When one man accidentally gets killed, Plainview adopts the man’s child, and it soon becomes apparent that his intentions here aren't as noble as we would like.
Paul Sunday (Dano), approaches Plainview telling him of oil on the Sunday ranch in California and Plainview and H.W. travel there to discover oil seeping to the surface. Plainview offers to buy the farm for a very low amount, but Eli Sunday (also Dano, Paul’s twin) interjects, raising the price. Plainview starts leasing and purchasing surrounding ranches, aquiring everything he can possibly get his hands on.
Eli plans an expansion of his church (he is a charismatic preacher and faith healer) with the $5000. He asks the opportunity to bless Plainview’s first derrick before drilling starts, but now Plainview snubs Eli. Soon accidents claim a worker’s life and H.W.’s hearing, and Eli blames Plainview for this, for which he gets a bad beating.
Years later Plainview is alone in his massive mansion, and his bitterness becomes even more apparent when his son visits him. The film ends with a final meeting between Plainview and Eli, and this scene leaves a wry taste in your mouth, because the character of Plainview has now perfected his slow degradation and Eli's unwavering belief now competes with Plainview's greed.
Eventually an incredibly uncomfortable watch, the brilliance of the film and Day-Lewis’ performance (yet again) becomes apparent after a while. We start out with an extremely ambitious character in a ruthless search for riches, but he is left with very little substance, broken and truly insane. And yes, there is blood…
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano
Seen: March 9th 2008
***½ Out of ****
Based on Upton Sinclair’s Oil!, this tells of a silver miner turning to oil in a ruthless pursuit of wealth during California’s oil boom of the late 19th & early 20th centuries. “So ladies and gentlemen… if I say I’m an oil man you will agree.” Daniel Day-Lewis proclaims in his Oscar winning performance as Daniel Plainview, the name clearly chosen by him to ease business dealings, but which, eventually, cannot be farther from the truth, his voice almost dripping the oil he eventually sells his soul for.
We open with Plainview prospecting a small self-dug silver-mine. After falling down the shaft and breaking a leg, he drags himself out and back to town with a fragment of ore, showing his intense need and will to succeed. Four years later Plainview is working a primitive oil well with a small team. When one man accidentally gets killed, Plainview adopts the man’s child, and it soon becomes apparent that his intentions here aren't as noble as we would like.
Paul Sunday (Dano), approaches Plainview telling him of oil on the Sunday ranch in California and Plainview and H.W. travel there to discover oil seeping to the surface. Plainview offers to buy the farm for a very low amount, but Eli Sunday (also Dano, Paul’s twin) interjects, raising the price. Plainview starts leasing and purchasing surrounding ranches, aquiring everything he can possibly get his hands on.
Eli plans an expansion of his church (he is a charismatic preacher and faith healer) with the $5000. He asks the opportunity to bless Plainview’s first derrick before drilling starts, but now Plainview snubs Eli. Soon accidents claim a worker’s life and H.W.’s hearing, and Eli blames Plainview for this, for which he gets a bad beating.
Years later Plainview is alone in his massive mansion, and his bitterness becomes even more apparent when his son visits him. The film ends with a final meeting between Plainview and Eli, and this scene leaves a wry taste in your mouth, because the character of Plainview has now perfected his slow degradation and Eli's unwavering belief now competes with Plainview's greed.
Eventually an incredibly uncomfortable watch, the brilliance of the film and Day-Lewis’ performance (yet again) becomes apparent after a while. We start out with an extremely ambitious character in a ruthless search for riches, but he is left with very little substance, broken and truly insane. And yes, there is blood…
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