There Will Be Blood Review

There Will Be Blood Review

November 22, 2012

Next in my incredibly belated Fan of the Month posts is Paul Thomas-Anderson's There Will Be Blood: Slick Nick from Pop Peeling's excellent recommendation.

Getting back on track with my Fan of the Month posts after falling hideously behind, Slick Nick (Fan of the Month for August) asked me to review one of his favourite films: Paul Thomas-Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. After getting it confused with No Country for Old Men time and time again, I thought it was high time for me to get around to watching it and reviewing it. Sceptical at first after it received such high critical acclaim (it’s 8.1 on IMDB and 91% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a seemingly endless list of accolades (nominated for six Oscars, won two; nominated for eight BAFTAs, won one to name but a few) I was worried it wouldn’t quite live up to the hype. Thankfully, I needn’t have worried.

Former miner turned oilman Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) is hardworking, focused and all about making money. Following a tip off from local farmer’s son Paul Sunday (Paul Dano), Plainview launches a campaign to convince small-town property owners that they should let him drill their land. Without him, they won’t have the equipment to access the profit they’re standing on. It’s thanks to this project that he builds his empire, and with it his obsession with power and paranoia that develops alongside it. Plainview meets his match in Paul’s twin brother, Eli (also Dano), a teenage preacher; as money tensions grow between them, showing the prospector to be the ruthless, unhinged business man he really is.

For Daniel Day-Lewis to win an Oscar for his portrayal of Plainview is the least the Academy could do. If a higher accolade existed; Day-Lewis would own it. I completely acknowledge that he’s brilliant in pretty much everything he touches, but There Will Be Blood is a whole different ball game. Charismatic yet frightfully villainous and brutal; I certainly wouldn’t want Plainview anywhere near my milkshake (finally, the origin of that infamous quote!).

A more than impressive follow up to the magnificent Magnolia (despite there being almost a decade between the two, it’s the only other of his films I’ve seen; this will change when I catch The Master next week); There Will Be Blood is easily one of the great American movies, fitting in comfortably amongst the classics. Not an easy watch, the violence and discomfort builds and builds to the horrifying crescendo which represents Plainview’s character perfectly.

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12 Responses so far.

AndyK says:

November 22, 2012 at 8:43 pm

A very generous review, Amy! I’d go for 5/10 – Day-Lewis’ performance is good (but not wonderful) and I found every other aspect of the film pretty forgettable, slow and plodding. There’s a danger in his films to concentrate so much on him and forget about everything else, which is probably why it has done so well at RT. I always think the best films are the ones where you can recount the plot off by heart a year later – sadly all I can say is there’s oil. And an angry bloke.

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Mark Walker says:

November 22, 2012 at 9:23 pm

Couldn’t agree more here Amy. This is an outstanding piece of cinema and if No Country For Old Men hadn’t been it’s competition then this would have cleaned up at the oscars. Also there no denying Day-Lewis – the man is just an incredible actor.

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- Amy says:
  
  December 18, 2012 at 6:05 pm
  
  Thanks for the comment Mark, Daniel Day Lewis is simply fantastic. Really looking forward to seeing how he fairs playing Abe. I’m expecting nothing short of brilliance, from him at least.
  
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sati says:

November 23, 2012 at 4:22 pm

Glad you liked the movie! I must say I even prefer it to Magnolia, but Boogie Nights remains my favorite movie of Anderson. DDL was great, but I was sorta rooting for Clooney that year.

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- Amy says:
  
  December 18, 2012 at 6:04 pm
  
  Thanks Sati! I’ll have to check out Boogie Nights, I loved Magnolia so here’s hoping for a hat trick!
  
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slick nick says:

November 25, 2012 at 7:29 am

Yay nice one Amy. Thanks for this. Glad you liked it! Thought you’d share Andy’s (wrong) opinion. But it is a 10/10 film so why did you knock a mark off? Many would cite it as the best of its decade.

And Andy there is more to cinema than just plot.

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- Amy says:
  
  December 18, 2012 at 6:01 pm
  
  Thanks Nick, got there in the end! I had to look away for a few seconds because of the violence (I’m a wuss) hence nine rather than ten. It’s fantastic though, great recommendation.
  
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Fernando Quintero says:

November 25, 2012 at 9:05 pm

Beautiful review, Amy! Glad you checked this one out finally. One of my favorite movies. Slow, yes, but pretty much perfect in every other aspect. DDL was brilliant. My favorite acting performance ever.

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- Amy says:
  
  December 18, 2012 at 5:59 pm
  
  That’s very kind of you, thanks Fernando! Daniel Day Lewis is a total dude, looking forward to seeing him in Lincoln!
  
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  - Fernando Quintero says:
    
    December 18, 2012 at 6:11 pm
    
    Me as well. He always delivers.
    
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Dominic the Womble says:

December 6, 2012 at 10:35 am

Amazing film, amazing soundtrack, amazing everything.

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- Amy says:
  
  December 18, 2012 at 7:46 am
  
  Amazing indeed Dominic!
  
  Reply