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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some very strong performances in one of the best films of 2008, 18 July 2008
`There Will Be Blood' is the award winning movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon. When Plainview gets a mysterious tip-off that there's a little town out West where an ocean of oil is oozing out of the ground, he heads with his son, H.W., to take their chances in dust-worn Little Boston. In this small town, where the main excitement centres around the church of charismatic preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), Plainview and H.W. make their lucky strike. But even as the well raises all of their fortunes, nothing will remain the same as conflicts escalate and every human value - love, hope, community, belief, ambition and even the bond between father and son - is tainted by corruption, deception and the flow of oil.
With the amount of hype around this film, I had high hopes for this film and what I didn't expect was to be completely engrossed in the story, the characters and some of the best acting that I have ever seen. From the opening scene I just knew that this was going to be great. A lot of people complain that it was too long and that there wasn't enough action in it, making it boring but I found that it was just so well made and well performed and I appreciated it for its excellent character-driven storyline that it was and came to the conclusion that this movie well deserved it's awards it was given. Daniel Day-Lewis is known for being very selective in his roles and stays in character whilst the movies are being filmed, and it goes to show in this film as is an truly incredible performance. Another notable performance is from co-star Paul Dano who plays the preacher Eli Sunday (and also briefly plays Eli's brother Paul after the actor pulled out) who also gives a very powerful performance.
There's not a great deal to say about the story as it is fairly straightforward in that it is a portrayal of the success and downfall of oil miner Daniel Plainview, so when I explain to friends what this is about I always get a face from them where I can tell that they are sarcastically thinking "great"" so I'd recommend just sitting down and watching this and the less you know about it, the better.
The Blu Ray quality is as great as usual. Fantastic sound quality although at some points in the film (especially near the beginning) the picture quality suffers from a little graininess that takes some of the crystal sharp picture away.
Overall this is one of the best films I've seen this year and is one I highly recommend to anyone who really appreciates good acting, a good story and excellent characters.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond good, but not quite brilliant - except for Daniel Day Lewis, 18 Aug 2009
Amazon and other reviewers have provided extended summaries of the storyline, so I'd just like to add my opinion that as as second disc of 'Extras', that inclusion is very disappointing and consists mostly of re-reun extracts from the film in association with historical resource material. The best element is probably the 'silent' movie made by the American Ministry of the Interior over 60 years ago to explain the story of petroleum. If you hope to see anything about how the film was actually made - there's absolutely nothing.
As everyone seems to agree, Daniel Day Lewis's performance is superb - there aren't really any adjectives strong enough to describe it. The final, brutally violent scene in the bowling alley - although weirdly unreal - is a triumph of acting. The final shot and line of dialogue, however, is oddly dissatisfying, but its very ambiguity does leave you considering its true meaning.
As for ambiguity - the title of the film is extremely clever and can be interpretted in very many ways ---- the blood of Christ and baptism - the blood of family ties - the blood of violence - the life-blood of oil in society etc.
The one thing that is very important to understand is that 'There will be blood' is essentially an extended character study and although there are highspots of activity and violence, these are infrequent and short. The film is the story of one man and the consequences of his over-arching self-belief in the face of a world and other people who don't agree with his methods, ethics and ambitions. In this respect, Daniel Plainview has certain similarities with that of Charles Foster Kane and the film as a whole is often reminiscent of the darkest work by the Coen Brothers.
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36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No doubt one of the greatest films ever made, 14 Sep 2008
Before watching films that critics have hailed as 'a classic', I always prepare myself for slight disappointment- the critics' new favorite The Dark Knight, while still being a masterpiece, I found did not quite live up to the hype. 5 star reviews for There Will Be Blood were absolutely everywhere, so instead I read through the 1 and 2 star reviews, to try and spot some of the possible flaws. What I saw was 'boring', 'dull', 'overrated' and even 'cringe-worthy'.
After finally watching it a few days ago, I realized that, amazingly, There Will Be Blood lives up to the hype... and actually surpasses it.
There Will Be Blood is a fascinating character-study of how money and greed can infect the human mind, and ultimately destroy it. Daniel Day Lewis packs in a truly sensational performance as Daniel Plainview: businessman; father; monster. It doesn't matter at all if you've no interest whatsoever in the oil business- that's just the trunk to a tree with many branches. The plot has been explained perfectly in other reviews, but even if it doesn't sound like `your kind of thing', you're still able to enjoy it as much as I did.
I'm not sure where the film was shot, but the sets and the landscapes are breathtaking- a beautiful and ragged cross between the Australian Outback and the American Deep South. The film is visually stunning all the way through, owning a unique dirty, sweaty and -ironically- oily look- similar in tone to The Coen Brothers' Oscar rival No Country For Old Men.
The constant use of the most unnerving of music and sounds reminded me somewhat of early Stanley Kubrick with 2001: A Space Odyssey. Director Paul Thomas Anderson creates the most eerie and frightening of atmospheres from the most basic and simple of situations- something once mastered by M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village).
The film goes on for an incredible 2 and a half hours, but in some strange way, you remain absolutely gripped from beginning to end. The whole experience is weirdly hypnotic- being consistently terrifying, provocative, and above all, heart-breaking: One particular scene comes to mind involving a boy and a train, but you'll have to watch it to find out what happens. Much of the film is structured around Daniel's relationship with his son- I wouldn't be surprised if the lad on screen is actually Daniel Day Lewis's son, as the drama and emotions passed between them are so real and convincing.
Also, remember Abigail Breslin's older brother in Little Miss Sunshine? He's in here, too, brilliantly portraying a very arrogant young man who's completely devout to his church, and who eventually gets what he deserves in the terrifying-but-powerful final scene. He's definitely one to watch in future.
There Will Be Blood is a staggering, 2 and a half hour journey into the mind of a man who knows no limits for money and success. Daniel Day Lewis's performance secures him as one of the world's greatest acting talents and is worth the DVD price alone. It's a film about passion, greed, manipulation, and an unbearably down-to-earth portrayal of how people's lives were some time ago- and still are. Watch it for the acting, watch it for the scenery, watch it for the concept, or even watch it to see what all the twinkling 5 star reviews are talking about, just make sure you watch the thing! It's an emotionally draining experience, but like Empire stated, (with only a couple of exceptions) no finer American film was made last year.
"I'm finished!"
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