Last night as I was stumbling around a crowded room at the Omniplex I was blessing my foresight of pre-booking tickets for There Will Be Blood. Being able to sell-out the largest screen in Galway isn’t a big deal for most disposable Hollywood blockbusters but I was surprised that so many people were as eager as I was to watch this almost three hour long story about a greedy businessman and the development of the US oil industry in the early part of last century. The recent Oscar hype must have had some effect. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love) and starring an Oscar winning performance from Daniel Day Lewis, this mesmerising movie is about as perfect as a movie can be. All the elements one expects from a top class movie are here- beautiful cinematography, an immersive story-line, complex characters who are strange and wholly believable, chillingly good acting and a haunting score.
The film is anchored by Daniel Day-Lewis’s powerful performance as Daniel Plainview, an oilman whose dangerous competitive nature consumes everything around him. Day-Lewis' acting is a thing of beauty. Equal parts larger-than-life and nuanced, his Daniel Plainview perfectly embodies the spirit of a salesman while putting across the multiple layers required for the portrayal of a man with an all-too-human desire for power. Where another actor might have turned Plainview into a monster, Day-Lewis brings out a troubled and multi-dimensional character. His eyes stare through the other characters, focused on his future plans to drill and drink up the land.
Joining Day-Lewis is Paul Dano as Eli (and Paul) Sunday. Last seen in the charming Little Miss Sunday, where he gave a brilliantly angsty performance for which I thought he would be type-cast, Dano plays an intriguing young pastor who balances out Plainviews’ character appropriately. Sunday has a calm and silent demeanour, which is occasionally shattered by his violent and religious outbursts. His character remains an enigma and was one of my favourite elements to this movie. The fact that Dano was originally cast in the minor role of his brother Paul and only given the part of Eli less than a week before shooting began is a testament to his talent.
Providing an aural equivalent to the breathtaking shots and scenes of boiling intensity is Jonny Greenwoods’ haunting score, which permeates throughout the film. The barren desert landscape really comes to life when the background imagery and background sound come together.
There Will Be Blood has been compared to such landmark movies as Citizen Kane and deservedly so. This movie is a great achievement in cinema and wonderful in so many aspects. I firmly believe this will be remembered and regarded as an important work of art. While its might not be the easiest of films to watch at times, it is captivating and the performances really invite the viewer into the harsh world Anderson has created. As I staggered back out of the dark room and into the safety of reality I knew that what I had just witnessed was an immense movie experience that would stay with me for some time.
The film is anchored by Daniel Day-Lewis’s powerful performance as Daniel Plainview, an oilman whose dangerous competitive nature consumes everything around him. Day-Lewis' acting is a thing of beauty. Equal parts larger-than-life and nuanced, his Daniel Plainview perfectly embodies the spirit of a salesman while putting across the multiple layers required for the portrayal of a man with an all-too-human desire for power. Where another actor might have turned Plainview into a monster, Day-Lewis brings out a troubled and multi-dimensional character. His eyes stare through the other characters, focused on his future plans to drill and drink up the land.
Joining Day-Lewis is Paul Dano as Eli (and Paul) Sunday. Last seen in the charming Little Miss Sunday, where he gave a brilliantly angsty performance for which I thought he would be type-cast, Dano plays an intriguing young pastor who balances out Plainviews’ character appropriately. Sunday has a calm and silent demeanour, which is occasionally shattered by his violent and religious outbursts. His character remains an enigma and was one of my favourite elements to this movie. The fact that Dano was originally cast in the minor role of his brother Paul and only given the part of Eli less than a week before shooting began is a testament to his talent.
Providing an aural equivalent to the breathtaking shots and scenes of boiling intensity is Jonny Greenwoods’ haunting score, which permeates throughout the film. The barren desert landscape really comes to life when the background imagery and background sound come together.
There Will Be Blood has been compared to such landmark movies as Citizen Kane and deservedly so. This movie is a great achievement in cinema and wonderful in so many aspects. I firmly believe this will be remembered and regarded as an important work of art. While its might not be the easiest of films to watch at times, it is captivating and the performances really invite the viewer into the harsh world Anderson has created. As I staggered back out of the dark room and into the safety of reality I knew that what I had just witnessed was an immense movie experience that would stay with me for some time.
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