"There Will Be Blood"

By: Matt Duncan
Coastal View News

There will be no second-guessing the merits of “There Will Be Blood” when it is propelled to the top of the list for this year’s Academy Awards, as Daniel Day-Lewis provides a shockingly convincing performance and writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson (“Magnolia,” “Punch-Drunk Love”) comes through once again by brilliantly developing the subtle symbolism and profound metaphor of a story pregnant with meaning.

“There Will Be Blood” is based on the novel “Oil!” by Upton Sinclair, who is best known for his bleak exposé of the abuses of free market capitalism in “The Jungle.” “There Will Be Blood” follows Daniel Plainview (Lewis), a self-proclaimed “oil man,” through his unflinching pursuit of profit and domination in the oilfields of the California countryside at the start of the 20th century. Although Plainview battles with genuine feelings of love for his adopted son, H.W. (Dillon Freasier), he shows an unabashed willingness to use, manipulate, deceive, and destroy anything or anyone on his path to riches. Anderson uses Sinclair’s story to portray a competitive economic landscape intrinsically designed to corrupt all those grasped within its clutches.

The movie opens with violent, horror-flick-like shrieks from a score that hangs over the entire movie like an ominous rain cloud, foretelling the impending doom of those trapped within the barren setting and even more barren lifestyle of greed. Plainview, both the character and the idea, interacts with the concepts of community, family, and religion, revealing that no one, no matter how innocent or holy, is immune to corruption in a system that necessitates competition and duplicity for survival. Although Plainview bears the largest thematic load in this story, manipulation in the name of money is by no means a quality limited to the oil tycoon.

Despite the fact that this screenplay can stand on its own two feet, Lewis’ performance gives the film an added punch that truly makes its sinister ambience work well. The only weak performance delivered in this movie came from Paul Dano (“Little Miss Sunshine”), who played Eli Sunday, a passionate, yet hypocritical preacher. Even though Lewis’ performance more than made up for Dano, the latter still managed to make several scenes feel like a high school play.

“There Will Be Blood” is not a good pick if you are looking for a light-hearted day at the movies or if you are looking for an energetic action thriller. But if you are in the mood for a powerful and profound movie that may depress rather than elate, “There Will Be Blood” is a perfect pick. Anderson’s subtle symbolism enriches this movie greatly, but the power of the imagery and acting alone is enough to make his point. Although it is doubtful that this movie will be for everyone, Anderson more than succeeds in doing what he set out to do.

“There Will Be Blood” is rated R for some violence.