So the other day I saw the latest Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA) vehicle, There Will Be Blood. Let’s just get it out of the way early. This movie was damn good. I obviously liked it…I mean, I’m reviewing it…and it seems like the only time I write a review for our humble blahg it’s positive. So. Yeah. It’s not like I’m going out on a limb here…the film has been nominated for 8 Academy Awards and something like 27 other awards.
PTA has an eye and a style a lot like the late, great Robert Altman, in that his movies usually have a longer than average list of ‘main’ characters, are comprised of long, drawn out scenes, and the climaxes never involve high budget, Michael Bay-esque explosions of oil tankers on the freeway or 8 minute car chases through down town NYC. Instead, he takes us on emotional expeditions though the of eyes social outcasts and outsiders…people whose worldviews are skewed slightly from that of “normal” society. While the cast isn’t quite as deep this time around, the journey is.
Daniel Day-Lewis gives one of the best performance of his career (and it’s a pretty nigh little career, too) as Daniel Plainview, a man who can best be described in his own words as simply, “an oil man.” Oil is his life and his religion. He attacks prospecting like a man possessed. Plainview wants oil and the fortune that comes with its discovery and sale. Plain and simple. Those that stand in his way (or even by his side) are often met with the wrath of a mad man.
His counter part in the movie is Eli Sunday, played by Paul Dano. Interestingly, Dano also plays the role of Eli’s brother Paul. Eli is the town preacher and major pain in Plainview’s ass. Dano has risen from a randy friend of AJ Soprano, to Klitz in The Girl Next Door, to Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine, to a major player in a PTA film nominated for Best Picture. That, my friends, is not a bad career path. His portrayal of a man of the cloth in this film is sure to keep his agent’s cellie ringing.
Without going into too much detail or flirting with spoilers, I’ll just say that the dynamic between these two main characters is fantastic and the tension is palpable. One is a man of enterprise. One of faith. Both are arrogant and self-righteous. Neither are willing to back down from the other, even if it means hurting those around them. This battle of wills they wage for two and a half hours reaches its boiling point in the final scene as both men are coming to terms with the consequences of their actions.
Clocking in at over 2.5 hrs, it’s certainly more of a large steak dinner than a quick drive through Big Mac, but that’s to be expected when you’re dealing with PTA. He’s a man of details and intricate plot lines, which lends itself to longer films (Boogie Nights was 2.5 hrs., Magnolia was 3 hrs 8 mins).
After gushing over the quality and hilarity of Juno and giving it a 3.5/5, I was chastized by Stamos and my lady friend as grading too tough, so I will not repeat that mistake. And I admit, I should have given it a 4. As funny and hip as Juno was though, I still find it kind of hard to argue that it deserves the honor of Best Picture…TWBB, on the other hand, is a whole different animal. I don’t know that I liked it more than No Country For Old Men, but there’s no doubt it deserves to be in the Best Picture conversation.
One very brahsome point of interest is that Jonny Greenwood, lead guitarist of Radiohead, wrote the score for this film.
And “I drink your milkshake!” is a great line from the movie. You’ll see.
4/5
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I have been wanting to see it for months…it’s raining in Richmond..and Friday…maybe I will go today.
You should, man, it was really good. And what better time than a rainy day?