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An Epic Tale Of Greed And Insanity

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By CHRISTY LEMIRE, The Associated Press

Published: January 17, 2008

Someday, we'll probably look back at Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" and call it his masterpiece.

Which is incredible because, except for the inescapable intensity, it's nothing like his previous films; if Anderson's name weren't on it, you'd never know it was his. It's thrilling to see him reinvent himself this way, applying his formidable directing talents in a totally different fashion.

Gone are the film-school tricks he made his name with in "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia" (and this critic loved those movies). Anderson has moved out of contemporary L.A. and away from the histrionics of the carefully orchestrated ensembles he set there. He now seems more interested in storytelling and character development.

What a character he's created in Daniel Plainview - and what a performance he's gotten out of Daniel Day-Lewis.

As a turn-of-the-century oil man, Day-Lewis gives one of the more terrifying turns of his long and eclectic career. He just completely dominates. He can be charming and cruel in the same breath, and with an accent reminiscent of John Huston, he says and does whatever he must to get his way.

That includes taking over a chunk of the central California coast and building a town there so that he can drill. (Anderson based his script very loosely on Upton Sinclair's 1920s muckraking novel "Oil!") A one-time silver miner, Plainview accidentally finds gold one day and sets his sights higher; this all takes place at the film's start, which stunningly lasts 15 wordless minutes.

"I hate most people," Plainview eventually confesses in a rare moment of introspection. The only one he connects with is his young son, H.W. (confident newcomer Dillon Freasier), who travels with him from town to town and tries to soften up the locals to get them to sell their land.

But one person in Plainview's latest target, the barren town of Little Boston, sees right through his tactics: fresh-faced, seemingly innocent preacher Eli Sunday, played with unexpected volatility by Paul Dano. Eli comes off as soft-voiced, pious and ingratiating.

But once Eli is on a roll, preaching in the town's crowded, makeshift church, he turns into a wildly charismatic evangelist - and right then and there, Plainview knows he's met his match. They hate each other instantly; both recognize they're two sides of the same coin. And the ensuing, humiliating game of one-upmanship in which they engage is raw and riveting.

Just as Plainview enjoys his greatest success, though, he also suffers his greatest heartbreak. He gets his gusher but the spectacular derrick explosion leaves H.W. without hearing. This also marks the beginning of the end of Plainview's sanity, which at best was tenuous. The more money he makes, the more his mind and morals deteriorate.

One quibble: "There Will Be Blood" feels a bit too long. Nevertheless, at the end - and the climax is a jaw-dropper - you may have a hard time getting out of your seat. It'll knock you out.

MOVIE REVIEW

There Will Be Blood ***½

MOVIE BOARD RATING: R (violence)

STARS: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Dillon Freasier

DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson

LOCATION: See movie times, Page 9, for local showtimes.

PLOT SUMMARY: Oil prospector looks to turn a profit in turn-of-the-century California.

RUNNING TIME: 158 minutes

ON THE WEB: paramount

vantage.com/blood

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