Daniel Day-Lewis is absolutely mesmerizing in Paul Thomas Anderson’s tightly written and directed drama, There Will Be Blood.
Oil in the Blood
Based on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil!, the film traces the story of independent oil man Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis), from his first solo exploits prospecting for oil with a pick and a bucket – literally dragging himself over miles of scrub-barren wasteland to stake a claim after breaking his leg – through his monomaniacal career of drilling wells, fighting for pipelines, and tenaciously guarding his independence and absolute control over the fiefdom he creates.
Despite the title, there is surprisingly little blood in the film. No wide swaths of killing, a lack of gore that would rankle any CSI producer. The blood in question more fittingly refers to a moral battle between the blood of Christ the Redeemer, and the lifeblood of oil as an agnostic catalyst. Or perhaps to the blood, or lack thereof, in family ties and commitments.
Soon into the film, after tapping a fertile deposit, one of Plainview’s associates anoints the forehead of his infant boy with a dab of the black goo. After an accident at the site claims the man’s life, Plainview, unmarried and with no children of his own, adopts the wailing babe.
Oil as Religion
Plainview takes special care of the boy (played as a youngster by Dillon Freasier), but doesn’t hesitate to use the child’s innocence to win over the confidence of families whose land he’s trying to buy. Plainview is more than a greedy misanthrope. Oil, for him, is his family. It is his religion.
But when Plainview sets his sights on a particularly oil-rich parcel, he crosses paths with Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), a would-be evangelical, striving to establish the “Church of the Third Revelation.” Much as, throughout history, church and crown have made strange bedfellows – the church lending legitimacy to the crown, the crown providing resources for the church, each wary of the other’s power – an uneasy cat and mouse defines Plainview’s relationship with Sunday.
Sunday froths at his congregation, “You will never be saved if you reject the blood [of Christ],” and aims to bring Plainview fully into his fold. Plainview’s religion allows bowing before no other lord than himself: “I have a competition in me,” he confesses. “I want no one else to succeed.”
Phenomenal Filmmaking
As the plot moves inexorably forward, these themes of family, power and faith are played across taught violin strings, sometimes literally, as Jonny Greenwood’s original music underscores a relentless tension that at times is well nigh unbearable.
Anderson’s script and direction are superb. Robert Elswit’s (Michael Clayton) photography is surely making him one of the most sought after cinematographers in the industry. And the entire cast turn in rock solid performances, though Dano is at times over the top, even considering the over-the-top nature of his character.
Day-Lewis' Larger-Than-Life Performance
But make no mistake, this is Day-Lewis’ show. Without his performance, this would simply not be the same film, neither in caliber nor in scope.
And yet, it’s patently obvious that Day-Lewis, who picked up both a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for his performance, is acting – acting in the grand stage style that made Olivier or Orson Wells so watchable, but acting nonetheless. Comparing it with the absolutely natural presence of Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah), it’s hard not to pick the latter.
Quibbles aside, this is a film of great pitch and moment. Well worthy of seeing on the big screen, it’s a must-see when it reaches DVD.
Grade: A+
Rating: R
Running time: 158 min.
Randy Walden - Randy has a BA in English/Creative Writing and is working on his MA in Humanities. He has studied both journalism and screenwriting at ...
