THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Rarely is a film graced with a performance in which an actor inhabits an enthralling character to the point where everything going on around that character becomes subsidiary. These performances and these characters become so compelling and polarizing, they leave their audience internally analyzing them long after the viewing experience. In Paul Thomas Anderson's historical epic, "There Will Be Blood", Daniel Day-Lewis gives one of those performances, and oilman Daniel Plainview is one of those characters. In all of movie history, few films can attribute as much of their greatness to the work of one actor.

Plainview's story begins as one of ambition and aspiration, as the film opens to his humble beginnings as a coal miner in the late nineteenth century. However, the man's relentless drive and passion soon turn to the oil business, which quickly turns his ambition into obsession, and his aspiration into avarice. His faith, moral fortitude, and sanity are tested as he attempts to bring his "family business" to the top of the early California oil industry.

The film provides probably as dark a commentary on the danger of greed as a film could. Throughout the early parts of the story, the audience is perhaps unsure about how they should feel about Plainview. His fixation is concerning, but at first his drive seems admirable. As his business endeavors expand and the line between life and work is erased, he is revealed to be a truly tragic figure, and a full-fledged villain. The film turns the idea of wealth correlating with happiness on its head. It's at the end of the story, when Plainview appears the most financially sound, that he is entirely mentally unhinged. Along with greed, religion also takes a central role in the conflicts of Plainview's story. Not because the character is a faithful man, but because of the pestering role which the Christian leadership presiding over his oil sites plays in his business. He represents a character who is so out of touch with a morally upstanding existence that he seems to fear religion and how it might make him conscious of his wrongdoings. Above all, this film is a study of a deeply flawed and intricate character.

Paul Thomas Anderson uses barren, almost dead settings, restrained writing, and an ominous score from Jonny Greenwood to create the film's menacing tone. These, along with impressive practical sets and an impassioned supporting effort from Paul Dano, are all important factors in this films effectiveness. But, as I stated earlier, "There Will Be Blood" is Daniel Day-Lewis' film. His turn as Daniel Plainview is the masterwork of his career. Plain and simple, this is one of the greatest performances in the history of cinema. In every moment which sees Day-Lewis occupy the screen (essentially every scene of the nearly three hour picture), he provides a subtly menacing demeanor, a chilling vocal cadence, and a palpable presence of reserved madness. This is one of those roles which is impossible to imagine any other actor playing. Day-Lewis, a famed "method actor", embodies Plainview's preoccupation with perfection in his work. It's not hard to imagine Day-Lewis having an obsession for his acting which is equal to Plainview's obsession for riches.

"There Will Be Blood" is one of the best films to come out since the turn of the millennium, and perhaps the best work to date by one of the greatest actors of all time is a huge reason why. It is an ambitious modern epic, which weaves its way through issues of faith, business, family, greed, and rectitude. The finished product; one of the most ferocious, engaging, and brilliant films I have ever seen.

RATING: 9.5/10