Rating of
4/4
There Will Be Daniel Day-Lewis
joshow - wrote on 09/18/09
“I’ve abandoned my child! I’ve abandoned my child! I’ve abandoned my boy!” Two days after watching Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood”, I still find myself replaying Daniel Day-Lewis bellowing out the aforementioned lines over and over in my head. Day-Lewis is absolutely riveting as a self-made oil tycoon in Anderson’s gritty tale of greed, hatred and madness.
I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Shining” while watching this piece. From the terrifyingly unsettling score by Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood, to the prominent theme of extreme isolation, PTA may have officially established himself as the modern day Kubrick.
Day-Lewis is captivating in his portrayal of ruthless, greed obsessed oil tycoon Daniel Plainview. In Plainview you see subtle glimpses of Bogart’s Fred C. Dobbs from “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and the disturbing intensity of Nicholson’s Jack Torrance from “The Shining”. The crescendo of madness seeps through Plainview’s facial expressions through each progressing scene, culminating in the destruction and breakdown of any sense of humanity he might have once had. Javier Bardem’s performance this year in “No Country for Old Men” may go down as the most insane, unstable character since Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Hannibal Lector in “The Silence of the Lambs”, but Day-Lewis’ Plainview is certainly the most despicable, uncompromising character of the year. WGA strike or not, the Academy should consider trimming the Best Actor nominations from the traditional five, down to just one. Day-Lewis’ performance is remarkable and untouchable, and may very well be one of the greatest on-screen performances of all time.
The movie itself isn’t as much plot driven as it is a character study, but that does not take away from the fact that Anderson’s vision is near genius. Each shot is as delicate and intricate as the next, reminding us of the beautiful cinematography he achieved just over five year ago in “Punch Drunk Love.” The movie’s haunting score is both beautiful and strategic, leaving the viewer with an intense, unsettling feeling throughout.
Even though Anderson usually works with ensemble pieces, he has proven yet again that he can bring the best out of almost any actor he works with. (Not that Daniel Day-Lewis needs to be any more brilliant than he already is.) Though the film is not flawless, what Anderson lacks in perfection he makes up for with a well-thought out vision, stunning camera technique, and brilliant performances all around, including Paul Dano as Eli and Paul Sunday.
