There Will Be Blood (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Buy This Item There Will Be Blood (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) by Paramount  Available from Amazon  $22.99  on 8-31-2008     Unmistakably a shot at greatness, Paul Thomas Anderson's <I>There Will Be Blood</I> succeeds in wild, explosive ways. The film digs into nothing less than the sources of peculiarly American kinds of ambition, corruption, and industry--and makes exhilarating cinema from it all. Although inspired by Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel <I>Oil!</I>, Anderson has crafted his own take on the material, focusing on a black-eyed, self-made oilman named Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), whose voracious appetite for oil turns him into a California tycoon in the early years of the 20th century. The early reels are a mesmerizing look at the getting of oil from the ground, an intensely physical process that later broadens into Plainview's equally indomitable urge to control land and power. Curious, diverting episodes accumulate during Plainview's rise: a mighty derrick fire (a bravura opportunity that Anderson, with the aid of cinematographer Robert Elswit, does not fail to meet), a visit from a long-lost brother (Kevin J. O'Connor), the ongoing involvement of Plainview's poker-faced adoptive son (Dillon Freasier). As the film progresses, it gravitates toward Plainview's rivalry with the local representative of God, a preacher named Eli Sunday (brimstone-spitting Paul Dano); religion and capitalism are thus presented not so much as opposing forces but as two sides of the same coin. And the worm in the apple here is less man's greed than his vanity. Anderson's offbeat take on all this--exemplified by the astonishing musical score by Jonny Greenwood--occasionally threatens to break the film apart, but even when it founders, it excites. As for Daniel Day-Lewis, his performance is Olivier-like in its grand scope and its attention to details of behavior; Plainview speaks in the rum-rich voice of John Huston, and squints with the wariness of Walter Huston. It's a fearsome performance, and the engine behind the film's relentless power. <I>--Robert Horton</I> Reader Reviews Powerful performances by Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano make this film worth watching. As for the story itself, well, it's not a pretty one. The love of money (and oil) changes Daniel Plainview (Lewis) from an enterprising, industrious man and decent human being, into a whiskey soaked degenerate, who eventually alienates everyone close to him. Preacher Eli Sunday (Dano, in a double role as both Paul and Eli Sunday) serves up fire and brimstone at the pulpit, but even his church is running on oil money, and not immune to corruption. The movie provides a peek into the early days of the oil industry in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and doesn't hold back on the ugly and dirty side. Well acted, and with great cinematography, I have but two small personal dislikes. 1. The soundtrack, which I found to be discordant and out of sync at times 2. The length of the film Short Attention Span Summary (SASS) 1. Silver miner strikes oil 2. Uses silver tongue to become best little oilman in California 3. Becomes a father by accident, though not in the fun way 4. Gets a tip from the man Sunday 5. Looks at the earth and sees there will be oil 6. Makes a deal with the Church of the Third Revelation 7. Breaks a deal with the Church of the Third Revelation 8. Pays the price, and there is blood 9. There is also whiskey 10. Communication efforts with son fall on deaf ears 11. His "milkshake" drains all the oil from the yard 12. Everything goes to heck Amanda Richards, March 18, 2008

There Will Be Blood (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) Available from Amazon Price: $22.99 Updated on 8-31-2008.

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