Rating of
3.5/4
Greed is Good for Blood
Chris Kavan - wrote on 04/15/08
With powerful characters and story, amazing cinematography and the perfect soundtrack, There Will Be Blood succeeds in making an epic picture out of a simple story of greed.
Daniel Day-Lewis, channeling the spirit of John Huston, brings a sophisticated evil to his oil baron Plainview. He charms locals out of their land, always looking at the bottom line. He seems to care for those around him: his son, his workers, a long-lost brother, but in the blink of an eye he'll turn on anyone if it fits his mood. He even states at one time that he pretty much hates everyone - that he sees nothing worth liking. By the end of the film, his attitude only gets more bitter, to the point of insanity.
On the other hand you have Paul Dano as the local fire-and-brimstone preacher. A soft-spoken performance most of the time, Dano shows his true colors a few times proving he is no better than Plainview. Every scene he has with Day-Lewis is gold. Besides the end, the baptism scene is particularly etched in my mind.
Besides the acting, the simple majesty of the landscapes make There Will Be Blood worth watching. There is beauty to be found in a mostly desolate area. The burning derrick at sunset is haunting. If you get nothing else out of the film, the images will stay with you.
The music likewise fits the film. At times it's nothing but percussion, jangling, but matching the scene perfectly. Other times it is the lack of sound that brings out the intensity. So often music overshadows performances, but here they pick the greatest balance between music and silence.
This is a character-driven film, the has some pretty unlikeable people. It seems a little long at 2 1/2 hours, and some parts can drag, but overall there isn't much I would change. If everything you know about There Will Be Blood is a line about a milkshake, make sure you sit down for the whole thing.
