There Will Be Blood
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. US. 2007. R. 158 min.
Fri, Feb 22 thru Thu, Feb 28 -- Roll over to view showtimes.
Oscar glory beckons for Daniel Day-Lewis, at his imperious, explosive best as turn-of-the-century oilman Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. Pitting his capitalist ambitions against young preacher Paul Dano's fanatical evangelism, Anderson presents a gripping saga of obsession, corruption and greed topped off with an audacious finale that more than delivers on his movie's doom-laden title. Hypnotic, poetic and often downright strange, the remarkable result is every bit as combustible as the black stuff itself.
Anderson starts as he means to go on with a daring opening sequence that charts Day-Lewis's early stabs at silver mining entirely without words – an admirably economical device that shows prospecting to be a dirty, dangerous and frequently deadly business. Prologue done, Plainview is revealed to be a silver-tongued opportunist keen to make his fortune in California's petroleum-rich heartland. When his quest leads him to the small town of Little Boston, however, he finds his way barred by Eli Sunday (Dano), a charismatic preacher determined to ensure his church benefits from the black gold that lies beneath their feet. (Neil Smith, BBC)
Click here to read J. Hoberman's review in the Village Voice.
Click here to read Kenneth Turan's review in the LA Times.