Rated
R (Some Violence)
Running
Time: 2 Hours & 38 Minutes
Cast-
Daniel
Day-Lewis-Daniel Plainview
Paul
Dano-Paul Sunday/Eli Sunday
Dillon
Freasier-H.W. Plainview
Ciarán
Hinds-Fletcher Hamilton
Kevin
J. O'Connor-Henry
David
Willis-Abel Sunday
Sydney
McCallister-Mary Sunday
Hans
Howes-William Bandy
David
Warshofsky-H.M. Tilford
Directed
by Paul Thomas Anderson
 |
| Daniel Day-Lewis delivers another powerhouse performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood." |
What
is capitalism? According to HowStuffWorks.com, the 'essence of capitalism is
economic freedom.' Stemming from eighteenth century European Enlightenment
beliefs that 'each human being is individually unique and valuable,' capitalism
characterized individuals as not only 'free to pursue self-interested goals
[but that] they should pursue self-interested goals.' Frequently referred to as
the father of modern economics and capitalism, Scottish philosopher Adam Smith
suggested two fundamental concepts in his 1776 magnum opus An Inquiry into the
Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. The first was that producers,
guided by their own self-interests, benefitted society as a whole by creating
exactly what people wanted while the second stated that the economy had a
'natural design' and should be left to its own devices, completely separate
from politics, religion, and all other pursuits. Guided by an 'invisible hand,'
the economy will regulate itself and work as it should as long as there were no
disturbances to this process. Ideally, this would entail social wealth for
everyone but this was far from the reality. True capitalism ended during the Industrial
Revolution in the 1800's as the rise of social protest forced the United States
government to intervene. What we call capitalism now is actually a mixed
economy that includes some elements of socialism. The perceived incompatibility
between 'pure' capitalism and religion is brought to the forefront in director
Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 film, "There Will Be Blood," a loose
adaptation of the 1927 novel Oil! by famous muckraker Upton Sinclair. Backed up
by a powerful performance from Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be
Blood" is the "Citizen Kane" of the twenty-first century, a bold
and thoroughly engaging modern-day American masterpiece that explores the
darkest corners of the human heart.
In 1898, a lone mineral prospector named
Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) suffers a broken leg while mining for
silver. Four years later, Plainview is excavating on a new dig site with some
men when they accidentally discover a large oil deposit underneath. The workers
collect the oil in a shallow pool but one of them is fatally struck in the head
as debris comes crashing down the well due to a broken pulley. Plainview adopts
the worker's now-orphaned son as his own and names him H.W. (Dillon Freasier).
Establishing a small drilling company, Plainview and his young 'son and
partner' spend the next several years traveling around the country looking for
new sites to drill. They manage to secure a number of contracts thanks to
Plainview's pitch on the importance of family in a business and his use of
H.W.'s presence as a selling tool. In 1911, a man named Paul Sunday (Paul Dano)
approaches Plainview and his associate Fletcher Hamilton (Ciarán Hinds) about
an oil deposit under his family's property in Little Boston, California.
Plainview and H.W. make their way toward Little Boston under the pretense of
hunting for quail. They discover oil seeping through the ground and attempt to
buy the Sunday ranch at the bargain price of $3700. However, Paul's twin
brother Eli (also Paul Dano) is aware of how valuable the oil is and demands
$10,000 as a donation to The Church of The Third Revelation, of which he is the
minister. Plainview negotiates the price down to $5000 and begins to buy up all
the land in the surrounding area on the cheap. Eli learns that the official
start of drilling will be a public event and asks Plainview to allow him to
bless the well but his request is ignored at the opening ceremony. This sparks
a vicious power struggle as each tries to humiliate the other. Plainview also
faces a personal tragedy when H.W. loses his hearing during a blowout that
occurs on his drilling rig. This proves to be a turning point for Plainview as
he further succumbs to his lust for wealth and power.
Paul Thomas Anderson's
"There Will Be Blood" left me completely speechless once the end
credits rolled. With a running time of 2 hours and 38 minutes, it's bound to
leave audiences emotionally drained as it explores the slow descent of a man
who realizes the American Dream but transforms into a deranged sociopath.
Loosely adapted from Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!, the film is essentially
a morality play on the nature of greed as two stubborn egos clash with
disastrous results, one representing unadulterated capitalism and the other
religious fanaticism. Containing shades of 1941's "Citizen Kane,"
1948's "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," and 1956's
"Giant," it's not so much the plot that stands out but the character
drama. Anderson creates one of the most fascinating, multi-faceted individuals
in American cinema, establishing Daniel Plainview as a simple man just trying
to make a living as he slowly mines for silver under the grueling sun in the
middle of nowhere during the film's opening scene, which is bereft of any
dialogue save for the harsh, discordant score from Jonny Greenwood of
Radiohead. Plainview's accidental discovery of an oil deposit in 1902
kick-starts his slow rise as an oilman but it's not until years later in 1911
when a chance meeting with Paul Sunday leads to his big break. Even before this
happens, there are hints of Plainview's forceful personality, specifically with
the declarative way he speaks. When he introduces himself during a town
meeting, he remarks that 'if I say I'm an oil man you will agree,' not 'if I
say I'm an oil man you will probably agree.' Plainview always communicates in a
matter-of-fact manner in an indicative mood, using his words to win over his
audience by leaving no room for interpretation because what he says must be
true. This is again evident when a clearly changed Plainview confronts H.M. Tilford
of Standard Oil in a restaurant and proudly proclaims, 'I told you what I was
gonna do.'
For much of the first hour, Anderson paints a sympathetic portrait
of Plainview. He comes across as somewhat clueless in his newfound role as a
father but he clearly cares for H.W. when he reveals his ambition to build a
pipeline 'to the sea' and getting rid of shipping costs, imparting his shrewd
business acumen. There's a scene where Plainview stares at H.W. as a baby, who
curiously grabs his adopted father's mustache. Now contrast this with how he
treats him at the end of the film. H.W. allowed Plainview to retain some
semblance of his humanity but the loss of his son's hearing marks a major
turning point as he fully succumbs to his own arrogance, devoting himself only
to the acquisition of wealth. In a telling moment with his supposed
half-brother Henry (Kevin J. O'Connor), Plainview tells him that 'I have a
competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people.' He
closes with the following remark: 'I see the worst in people. I don't need to
look past seeing them to get all I need. I've built my hatreds up over the
years, little by little.' To Plainview, people are nothing more than tools and
cannot be trusted. In his eyes, he is superior to everyone around him.
Although
the central conflict in the film revolves around Plainview and Eli Sunday, the
two are actually more alike than they realize which lends a certain irony to
the proceedings. Both are ultimately greedy, selfish individuals who use their
words to sway people to their cause. For Eli, his congregation is not used as a
way to espouse a moral way of living but to feed into his own ego. Notice that
he also speaks in an indicative mood like Plainview. He is basically making a
demand when he says that 'I will bless the well,' not 'I want to bless the
well.' Eli then proceeds to tell Plainview how he should introduce him. To
Plainview, this is the worst offense. The film's title, "There Will Be
Blood," becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as in order to get his way and
to prove that he is superior, Plainview resorts to the extremist of methods.
While it's easy to view the film as simply a battle between capitalism and
religion, the truth is much more subtle and it's the fact that the two are much
more intertwined than we are led to believe. Plainview's fortune was only made
possible through his forced 'confession' at the church and Eli's rise is due in
no small part to the money that Plainview's oil drilling operation brings. The
complex themes in "There Will Be Blood" can span an entire book but
let's not forget the gorgeous cinematography from Robert Elswit that captures
the simple innocence of the American frontier that stands in stark contrast to
the conflicts that brew underneath. The score from Jonny Greenwood is highly
unusual, its dissonantly harsh sounds lending the film a horror aspect that may
fill viewers with a sense of unease, almost as if it's signaling the birth of a
monster. From top to bottom, "There Will Be Blood" is nothing but perfection,
a modern day masterpiece that tells a uniquely American tale.
All of the
performances are of the highest caliber but it is Daniel Day-Lewis that makes
the film so memorable. Speaking with a Sean Connery-like inflection, Lewis
sucks you in with his honeyed-words as the unscrupulous Daniel Plainview, his
calm and cultivated manner makes his sudden outbursts of violence all the more
shocking. Handling the often theatrical dialogue with aplomb, Lewis once again
proves himself to be one of the finest actors working in Hollywood today. Paul
Dano is just as amazing as Eli Sunday, a spiritually avarice preacher who
delights in stroking his own ego. The film crackles with energy whenever he and
Lewis are on-screen; their characters' hatred of each other further engrosses
you into the film. Dillon Freasier projects a wide-eyed sincerity as H.W. while
Kevin J. O'Connor creates a pitiful figure within Henry, Daniel's supposed
half-brother. The only actor that gets the short end of the stick is Ciarán
Hinds' Fletcher Hamilton, Plainview's business associate.
Arriving on Blu-Ray
in 2008, "There Will Be Blood" will never be considered as demo
material but this is by no means a knock against the disc's quality. Containing
a fine veneer of grain, the transfer boasts exceptional detail punctuated by
naturalistic colors. Outdoor scenes dazzle with an amazing amount of depth
where every weed, rock, and pebble is noticeable. Flesh tones take on a slight
reddish hue as individual beads of sweat fall from every character's face
during close-ups. Since this is a dialogue-driven film, the audio track is more
subdued. While it won't turn heads at the local Best Buy, the oil gusher that
knocks H.W. back proves to be a highlight as you can feel the full, explosive
force of the blowout as crude oil spouts from the ground like a geyser.
Dialogue is crystal clear, ambient sounds are perfectly replicated, and Jonny
Greenwood's horror-like score both enthralls and fills you with apprehension.
Disappointingly, this release offers precious few extras; there is neither an
audio commentary nor a behind-the scenes look at the making of the film. There
is an interesting photo montage that compares images from Anderson's extensive
research to scenes in the film, revealing the set designer's attention to
detail in recreating America at the turn of the twentieth century. A few
deleted scenes are also included, plus a 1923 silent film titled "The
Story of Petroleum" that chronicled the rapid rise of the oil industry.
Released on December 26, 2007, "There Will Be Blood" received
widespread critical acclaim with 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it 'as
a masterpiece, [a] sparse and sprawling epic about the underhanded 'heroes' of
capitalism [that] boasts incredible performances by leads Daniel Day-Lewis and
Paul Dano, and is director Paul Thomas Anderson's best work to date.' Given its
almost three-hour running time and niche subject matter, the film only grossed
$40 million at the domestic box office with a total of $76 million worldwide.
Mainstream audiences will hate it while the rest of the world probably isn't
familiar with that specific time period in the United States but for those with
a true love of cinema, this sprawling epic is the equivalent of a summer
blockbuster, except it won't turn your brain into mush. The film was nominated
in eight categories at the 80th Academy Awards, tied with the Coen Brother's
"No Country for Old Men" but only won two: Best Actor (Daniel
Day-Lewis) and Best Cinematography. Powerfully acted and thematically rich, a
film like "There Will Be Blood" only comes along once in a blue moon;
this is a rare masterpiece that everyone should have the chance to experience.
Final
Rating: 5 out of 5
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