There Will Be Blood
Directed by: P.T. Anderson
Written by: P.T. Anderson, Upton Sinclair
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Dillon Freasier, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O’Connor

Every year there are one or two critically-acclaimed movies that manage to sneak into a handful of theatres right at the end of December, just in time to make them eligible for the Oscars. These so-called masterpieces turn up on all kinds of “best of” lists, get nominated for scores of awards, and garner overwhelming praise — all while the majority of the general public still has not had a chance to see them.

This year, P.T. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood was one of these sacred, untouchable films. Needless to say, after all the hype I was dying to see it, but I couldn’t help wondering: what is it about this movie that makes it so good that the average moviegoer doesn’t deserve to see it?

Okay, maybe it sounds like I went into this movie with a chip on my shoulder, but that’s not the case. I have loved all of P.T. Anderson’s movies to date. As the hotshot director behind such art house classics as Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love, he takes epic stories and backs them up with equally epic visuals. His overblown style may alienate some viewers and divide some critics, but as an auteur/artist/genius/whatever you want to call him, there are few directors working today who can compare.

There Will Be Blood, his fifth feature film, finds him reaching a new plateau, for the first time choosing to adapt someone else’s story for the big screen (Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil!). The high points of the film may be his finest work to date. There are specific scenes and performances in this movie that people will be talking about for years to come.

At its most basic, this is a period piece taking place in the southern California dustbowl in the early 1900’s. An oil prospector named Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) is buying up people’s land for peanuts in order to turn it into, as they say, “black gold”. Plainview is also a single father, raising his young boy H.W. (Dillon Freasier) to be a part of the family business. In order to buy up one particularly valuable lot, he must pull a fast one on a small-town preacher (Paul Dano), promising money to the local church that he never intends to pay. Things go downhill from here, as he becomes completely consumed by his greed.

There’s no disputing the powerhouse performance that Daniel Day-Lewis gives in this film. He’s the only one who will give Javier Bardem a run for his money at the Academy Awards this year. There is a definite resemblance between his character here and Bill the Butcher from Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, and it’s not just because of the mustache. He infuses every frame of this film with such intensity that he consistently commands your attention throughout. By the end of the film, however, you come to realize that this intensity can be exhausting. He appears borderline inhuman.

It is also worth noting that Paul Dano manages to hold his own across from such a massive presence. He is the only other major character in the film (aside from Plainview’s son H.W.) and coming off the quirky comedy Little Miss Sunshine, I certainly didn’t know he had it in him. Consider me impressed.

There Will Be Blood absolutely lives up to its billing in terms of cinematic grandeur. The gritty process of old school oil drilling makes for fascinating imagery here, as does the desolate scenery. The oil fire that we see partway through the film is just about as awe-inspiring as a scene can get. Still, as technically brilliant as it all was, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.

The movie is a slow burn (no pun intended); it is in no hurry getting where it wants to go, and yet the pacing seems a bit unjustified at times. Perhaps I’ve just seen too many overly long movies this year, or maybe I’m just impatient. I can’t fault it for that alone, but upon further reflection, I think my main complaint with the movie is that Anderson’s directorial flair is so distancing that I really felt nothing at all for anyone in the film. It could be the fact that none of the characters were very likeable, but at some point I realized that I didn’t care what would happen next. I was content to sit back and admire the visuals, while remaining unengaged with the story.

Was that the point of the movie? Arguably, yes. It certainly puts you inside the head of the misanthropic Daniel Plainview, and reinforces the moral vacuum that these people were living in. There Will Be Blood is a character study through and through, mostly unencumbered by plot, and ultimately carried by its star. But also, when things did happen, I was paying more attention to the beautiful cinematography than the ugly things people were saying and doing.

In the end, I find myself torn between what I know to be a great work of art, and a story that didn’t really connect with me. Do I think it’s a stunning achievement and a movie that cinephiles will marvel at? Absolutely. But at the same time, I guess I can understand why this isn’t playing in cineplexes across the country. A truly great movie should speak to the masses on some level, and I have to trust my gut on this one. It says that this movie is a valiant effort, but one that is ultimately impotent, failing to fully follow through on the elusive promise of being one of the great cinematic masterpieces of our time. — Sean

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Recommended If You Like: Grapes of Wrath, Carnivale, Citizen Kane, Gangs of New York