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There Will Be Blood: A Review of the Oscar-Nominated Film

There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, depicts the life of an oil man. Daniel Plainview, Day-Lewis’ character, claims to be a “family man” and runs a family oil-drilling business with his young boy, H.W. Plainview strikes rich when a young man by the name of Paul Sunday, played by Paul Dano, tells Plainview of the Sunday Farm, under which lies an ocean of oil.

The first 15 to 20 minutes of the film progress with no dialogue, yet we see an oil man coming to life. Although the film runs a bit slowly at times, Day-Lewis’ phenomenal acting keeps the audience captivated. Right from the start of the film, Day-Lewis steps into the role of Daniel Plainview, making the two indistinguishable. In the beginning, he really makes the audience believe that he is, indeed, a family man.

Plainview and his son make their way to the Sunday ranch, meeting the entire family, including another young man named Eli Sunday, also played by Paul Dano. Now, whether Paul and Eli Sunday are twin brothers or there is some other issue in Eli’s psyche is left to the viewer’s interpretation, for as the movie progresses, either option remains plausible.

Dano’s character, Eli, plays the town priest, bent on renovating his Church no matter what it takes. Previously known for his role in Little Miss Sunshine, Dano plays a much different role in this film. Dano’s role in There Will Be Blood, for one, is a speaking role, and as an overzealous priest, he would never be seen wearing those quirky t-shirts that read “Jesus Was Wrong” like his Little Miss Sunshine character. In this film, Dano’s acting is superb, but when he shares the screen with Day-Lewis, he doesn’t stand a chance. In his own scenes he steals the spotlight, his character preaching the Bible while simultaneously looking out for only his own ambitions.

As the story progresses, Day-Lewis’ character begins to unravel, and the audience starts to see Plainview’s true persona beneath his “family man” cover. When a drilling accident causes his son to lose his hearing, Plainview’s only thoughts are, “There’s a whole ocean of oil under our feet! No one can get at it except for me.” And for someone who once seemed to care so much for his son, it soon becomes evident that the boy was merely a cute face used for selling the whole “family man” image. It does seem, possibly, that deep down, Plainview does care about family, and Day-Lewis depicts these contrasting feelings marvelously.

In a later scene, Plainview’s supposed half-brother shows up at the Sunday Farm, introducing himself for the first time. As the two become closer, Plainview admits to his brother that he hates most people, adding “There are times when I look at people when I see nothing worth liking. I want to earn enough money that I can get away from everyone … I see the worst in people.”

Plainview’s greed and ruthless ambition grows exponentially as the story goes on, paralleled by Eli’s greed and shamelessness in his church. Anderson’s direction excellently tells the story of this merciless oil man living a lie beneath the cover of family, consisting merely of a son whom he eventually alienates. And, as promised in the title, there will be blood.

The only qualms with this movie are that it drags on at certain points. However, Day-Lewis keeps the audience engaged in every scene he is in, and the story is so unique that one cannot possibly predict how everything will play out.

Nominated for eight Oscars, the film is highly acclaimed, so it is definitely worth seeing, if only to familiarize yourself with this year’s Oscar nominees.

Deena Elgenaidi is Senior Editor for the Collegiate Network publication, The Villanova Times. This article originally appeared in the February 20, 2008 issue of The Times.