Rating of
4/4
A Film for Thinkers
Franz Patrick - wrote on 03/25/08
Daniel Day-Lewis definitely deserve the Best Actor Oscar. He was funny, scary, sad--but above all, twisted. Because of him, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. His portrayal of a man consumed by competition and success was very believable. One minute he's someone one can relate to, the next minute, he's a complete psychopath. Paul Dano wasn't bad either. He provided a much-needed comic relief and much more. (The comments about organized religion was a breath of fresh air.) What I love about this film is its relentless soundtrack: it's always there even though nothing much is happening on screen. It's as if it became a character itself. I also love the fact that it's so different from the other films out there. The tones are never complimentary yet all of it still manages to fit together like a puzzle. There are long moments of silences, which I also enjoyed, but I do admit that they could've cut at least fifteen minutes of those scenes. Still, one could argue that those scenes enhanced the film by making the audiences feel like they, too, are part of the oil mining business. It's a long movie but if one can hang in there, it really is worth pondering over once the credits start rolling.
