There Will Be Blood

3.5/4 stars

Considering the incredible achievement of Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece, Magnolia, this movie has a lot to live up to. The bad news is that in terms of scope and narrative, There Will Be Blood doesn't compare. Nonetheless, as a character study the movie is efficient and artistically sucessful, with a number of excellent performances. Daniel Day-Lewis certainly deserves strong consideration for the Best Actor Oscar this year; and Paul Dano, who was impressive in Little Miss Sunshine, has outdone himself with his portrayal of the two-faced Eli Sunday. In terms of directorial effort, Anderson has done an excellent job at evoking the feel of the time period, in terms of the production itself as well as cinematography and the use of the score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. The film doesn't only evoke the time period, it also calls to mind the early days of cinema, adding an interesting metanarrative effect. I cannot help but compare There Will Be Blood in my mind with another recent film and fellow Oscar contender No Country For Old Men. Both have been lauded as gripping studies of profoundly evil characters, but There Will Be Blood makes such a claim about its rival look absurd. Whereas that movie could only convey evil through an endless stream of senselessly violent acts, Anderson provides a film that uses violence sparingly and to shocking effect, in order to expore depths of character that No Country for Old Men cannot begin to approach.

Written February 5, 2008.