There Will Be Blood Reviews

Poor storytelling and virtually no character development. Arbitrary, episodic and confusing.

Yes - DDL is God and the cinematography and sense of place and time are uncanny but after a terrific opening hour this film just coughs and sputters.

My personal Opinion aside, it is an Epic masterpiece that is beautifully shot and ONCE again Daniel day Lewis is a rare breed of fantastic actors!

It is a slow paced movie that takes you through a maze of mentalness, I will have to re watch as i didnt follow the character very well and i feel im missing something!

No other film more aptly deserves the title of modern classic than this whirlwind historical drama. Director Paul Thomas Anderson absolutely left his comfort zone of the eccentric lives of Los Angelenos in order to make a film that takes place at the offset of the oil reign. Anderson writes and directs this film about the beginning of the oil boom in California at the beginning of the 20th century. Very loosely based on Upton Sinclair's novel "Oil!" and much more on historical figures and testimony from the Teapot Dome Scandal, Anderson creates an enigma, a man who is murderous and power hungry yet untruthful about his intent. This creates a literal powder keg, as the prospector does anything and everything in order to gain his fortunes, even if that means letting go of his son, and having the bond between them severed irrevocably. Of course, besides Anderson creating the character of Daniel Plainview so beautifully, it is acted by the incomparable Daniel Day-Lewis. Day-Lewis is Plainview, embodying the character so well that without him this film would never have even touched on what it became. Day-Lewis is cold, conniving, principled and yet heartless, and does anything and everything for money. He isn't only driven by money though, but the stability his son needs, the familiar ties he thinks he wants even after all these years, and power over his oppressors. His performance includes a brash voice, a cocky attitude, and several moments that will remain iconic in film forever more. Besides his own ambitions he has to have the town understand him and give him license to take what he needs. He comes up against the town preacher, played by Paul Dano, and their feud begins. Paul Dano gives the best performance of his career thus far and does so under the guise of a man with his own ambitions, using moral superiority, cunning and empirical thinking to get himself a cut of Daniel's profits for himself, all in the name of religion. It's this vendetta between the two, enacted in violence and callous accusations, that remains pivotal to the film and drives it forward time and again. Even in the end there isn't any true resolution, only an end to the madness each has decided to enact. Very impressive was the choice in composer as well, as the score remains out of place and yet so tense and perfect. The score is done by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, who has composed some impressive films as of late, and who remains one to watch. Between the performances, music, setting, and contextual use of dialogue and historical content this film has become an instant classic, and its gradual move towards power grabbing will keep you rooted to your seat the entire way through.

There Will Be Blood follows the rise of oil tycoon Daniel Plainview from his humble beginnings as a prospector working the land with his own two hands through to solitary mansion-bound multi-millionaire. I'm not surprised that this was adapted from a book published in 1927; it has a real old-fashioned feel to it and a palpable sense of authenticity. Therefore anyone used to the constant fast cuts, CGI, pop music soundtracks and wibbly wobbly camera work of modern cinema may find it tough going. It's a character study pure and simple, and Daniel Day Lewis is simply incredible. He is an ACTOR, not a movie star, and at no point to you become aware of the fact that he is just an actor acting; he genuinely brings Plainview to life. Unfortunately for those who like their films with a lovable hero to cheer for, he's a cold, bullying opportunist with a single-minded desire not only to succeed, but to see everyone else fail; if he encounters anyone or anything he can't control, he must destroy it. Not the most likeable protagonist then! And to top it off, I found Paul Dano's evangelist even more disturbing; Plainview may be cold-hearted and ruthless, but at least he had a brutal honesty about him and never pretended to be something he's not. It's also a beautifully shot film with many memorable images and an extremely expressive score from Johnny Greenwood. It's certainly not a cinematic quick fix, and I think the best way to describe it is Citizen Kane meets Michael Corleone. It won't be to everyone's taste but anyone wanting a cerebral character study combined with a powerhouse acting performance should look no further.

The acting by Daniel Day-Lewis is probably the main reason to watch this. Otherwise, "There Will Be Blood" is an alright film. It's slow and for the most part boring. Also, the score is lame, did not fit at all. But I do like how it touches on aspects of human nature: greed, competitiveness, hatred, and so on.

An American masterpiece concerning a greedy oil-man (Daniel Day-Lewis) who comes to a small town in California during the start of the 20th century, offering peace and prosperity to all who won't step in his way, until a zealous young pastor (Paul Dano) interferes with his plans for power and control over the region. Upon re-watch, I consider this to be a masterful film, rather than just a mediocre one. The main reason why is just how skillfully and effortlessly director P.T. Anderson sucks you in to these characters, as reprehensible as they are, and makes them arresting ones you can not help but look away from. As chaotic as the finale to the movie is, it is an appropriately fitting one considering all the pent up anger Day-Lewis's Daniel Plainview stores up inside him over the years. It is a disturbing downward spiral into the dark soul of a troubled human being, but one that you can not help but remember for a long time after the credits roll. Day-Lewis, the best actor working on the planet right now, is phenomenal as always, and Dano is just as good as a pastor corrupted by his lust for power. Engrossing, if despicable, this film flies by thanks to the hypnotizing grasp the movie takes hold of you right from the beginning, for nearly 160 minutes. Not many directors can pull that feat off.

Daniel Day-Lewis gives possible his greatest performance as a greed-driven driller in the turn of the new century. The film presents an awe-inspiring with splendid performances from the entire cast. Paul Thomas Anderson directs his best piece to date. 4/5

Dark, original and highly ambitious film from great Paul Thomas Anderson. There Will Be Blood is like a hybrid of of different genres.
While it is mostly a study of one man's greed and corruption, it still has some weird undertones of horror beneath it's surface.
Jonny Greenwood's outstanding score comes off as the most amazing thing here, and Dillon Frasier and Paul Dano steals the show with their acting talent.
Much has been said about performance of Daniel Day-Lewis and while it earned him a Oscar, i still think it does go way over the top at times.
Ultimately his performance actually is the only weak part of this film. Too bad because this film has all the potential to be a classic, but it never reaches those heights because Anderson does not know when to stop and allow things get out of hand with Day-Lewis and his performance.
Still overall, this is a fascinating study of an evil inside us.

Day-Lewis, in fact, was what made this film ultimately watchable. His performance started out quite mighty, and it only got better from there. I canâ(TM)t compare it to any of his other roles. Unfortunately, I havenâ(TM)t seen any of his other acclaimed performances in films such as GANGS OF NEW YORK, MY LEFT FOOT, and IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER. What I can say is he deserved the Oscar he got for his performance here. His delivery was one of the best Iâ(TM)ve seen of the last decade.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD had a very interesting plot, taken loosely from Sinclair Lewisâ(TM)sâ"I mean Upton Sinclairâ(TM)s novel Oil!. The problem is the speed at which the story is told. Had the pacing not been so inconveniently dilatory, I would have given this a much higher grade. Iâ(TM)m not saying films shouldnâ(TM)t take their time. They should in some cases, and this was certainly one. In other words, thereâ(TM)s a difference between watching someone carefully paint, and watching the paint dry.

2 words (or 3?). Daniel-Day Lewis. What a performance. You are not going to see acting like this in a long time. If compared to any other actor in Hollywood at this time, no one would match up to his performance. Daniel-Day Lewis is THAT good in this movie. Many will stray from this seemingly, anti-climactic movie but this movie is impeccably made. The direction: phenomenal. Cinematography: Absolutely gorgeous. This is a film! An absolute must watch. This is a masterpiece.

Just re-watched this film. Anderson and Daniel Day Lewis make an unstoppable combination. Self-indulgent, mesmerizing, and sorrowfully beautiful.

many critics and fans alike have loudly declared this to be the best film of 2007. it was truly a remarkeable film in all of the objective areas. day-lewis' performance deserves an oscar, far outdoing anyone else this year as he fell in and out between likeability and ruthless rage. he went from hero to villian more effectively than can be fathomed. the art direction, locations, direction, and musical score couldnt have been any better, and the cinematography was probably only exceeded this year by the assassination of jesse james. however, for a film to be a true masterpiece it must satisfy on the subjective end as well as the objective, and the subjective is where this film fell short. the story was truly profound especially when seen as a father and son story, and the themes of greed and the empty chase for vanity in this life where clear and powerful, but the story still never captured the allure of the great films of all time. the end was empty and the depression drawn on in many scenes was understood but hollow. a great film for sure, but this year has definitely produced a short stack of better films.

I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!!!

Simply amazing. Daniel Day Lewis is riveting and the cinematography is breathtaking. Plus a beautiful score from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood.

Daniel Day-Lewis in one of the best acting roles i've ever seen, from anybody.

Plainview: Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink... your... milkshake! 

"There Will Be Greed. There Will Be Vengeance."

Let There Be Blood is one of those few movies that can be classified as perfect. It's such an amazing movie, that just explaining how good it is doesn't do it justice. It's a movie that must be seen. All the hype and great things I had heard about this movie didn't take anything away from it. I went in with astronomical expectations and somehow they were exceeded. 

If you're an avid fan of film; there is nothing to complain about here. What some(dumb-asses) call slow and boring; I call patient and refreshing. From the opening 10 minutes I knew this movie was going to be amazing. So few movies and come out and say nothing for 10 minutes and still totally suck you into the start of the story. It takes a special director to do this effectively, like with Kubrick and Leone. Paul Thomas Anderson is a special director and this is a masterpiece on the grandest scale.

The music, cinematography, direction and acting in this film make for an epic experience. Enough can't be said about Daniel Day-Lewis's spectacular performance. It's my favorite performance that I've seen from him. He pulls the character of Daniel Plainview off with powerful preciseness. Prior to this movie everyone already knew he could play an amazing villain. We saw him give a stunning performance as Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York. He tops his performance in Gangs of New York, which after watching it, I didn't think possible.

I love what Peter Travers said about this movie, "Fans of formula and sugarcoating will hate this. Screw them." I couldn't agree more. 

Plainview: Did you think your song and dance and your superstition would help you, Eli? I am the Third Revelation! I am who the Lord has chosen! 

This is another exaple of why Daniel Day-Lewis get so good characters. His acting once again is impressive. How this pioneer of the oil industry becomes one of the richest men in America. It's a very complex character that you never entirely understand. His greed and ego are so high vs his beliefs and conflict against religion it could be too much for some viewers. His idea of family...well you'll have to see it to believe it. Fantastic story.

'Widely touted as a masterpiece'? Believe it everyone, because it is deservedly so. Paul Thomas Anderson's 'There Will Be Blood' is such a fiery success of a film that your senses may tingle. Day-Lewis gives one hell of a performance and deserves his Oscar. Dano also gives off pure power as Eli Sunday. This film is close to a perfect marriage between direction, writing, editing, cinematography, music, and acting. It seems to be a living and breathing monster...a well-oiled machine (no pun intended). 'There Will Be Blood' may shock you, rock you, or disturb you. But in the end, when that last line of dialogue is stated ('I'm finished.') and the title appears onscreen against the pitch black...
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
The only thing left to do... is clap.

I truly believe the term 'masterpiece' is thrown around at reckless abandon by critics and viewers alike, however, the term can be aptly used to describe Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood." The film is blazingly cinematic and one of the best films to exist about America. The battle between free-enterprise (portrayed in Daniel Day-Lewis' monstrous but captivating Daniel Plainview) and organized religion (embodied by Paul Dano's schizophrenic and cowardly Eli Sunday) is fitting, effective, fascinating and cathartic. Rarely do we see a film that has a perfect marriage of cinematography, music, acting, directing and editing. Few films are as polished and pointed as "There Will Be Blood." If you are any true fan of cinema, this is the type of film you should be living for.

In my opinion, the greatest film of all time. Writing, acting, direction, cinematography, music - every element of this film is exemplary, and they still all come together to equal something greater than those individual parts. In theaters, I was stunned by its raw emotional power. One of the best reasons for why I love movies.