There Will Be Blood

This is not to say Magnolia isn’t a mature work because it is but Anderson’s latest There Will Be Blood represents a near-perfect fusion of his major influences blended with his own originality.

Whereas previously Anderson used sprawling camera shots and ensemble narratives that recall Martin Scorsese and Robert Altman respectively, here Anderson acknowledges two other masters: Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick.

There Will Be Blood has the look of admiration few films boast; Malick-like meditation on simultaneously stark and beautiful imagery, along with meticulous design that boasts perfectionism from the first frame (does Kubrick have an heir?).

The film opens with a long dialogue-free exposition that is reminiscent of the dawn of man sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

It ends with a scene that more resembles Alex and the oversized phallic object in A Clockwork Orange – this alone should tell you despite the slow pace, the tone of the film changes dramatically.

The dramatic shift in tone is not only sublime but barely comprehensible; its exactly what Anderson was aiming for, a film with such quiet intensity it leaves you reeling from the last frame.

Some criticise Anderson for being all style and no substance; I struggle to see why; Magnolia was an affirming humanist triumph and There Will Be Blood takes the many themes of family, greed, obsession and religion and manages to hide them nicely within the baron landscape where the narrative takes place.

There are great parallels between Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis) and Eli Sunday (Paul Dano). Watch as Eli ‘cures’ an old woman with arthritis as Daniel watches with envy and amusement. He can’t stand another man with power and prestige.

But also it bears resemblance to Daniel’s ‘I am an oilman’ speech because both are lacking in truth. In fact Eli could be the son Daniel never had. Their rivalry is what really lifts the film's narrative; each managing to really crush the other (literally) and do great injustice to each man's trade.

Daniel Day Lewis’ performance is fantastic - a distant relation to Noah Cross of Chinatown perhaps, the performance certainly owes a lot to John Huston’s.

This is not the only link to Chinatown; there’s also a connection of themes. Chinatown involves Noah Cross’ incestuous rape of his daughter. You could say that Plainview rapes the land of their oil, sucking the land and its people dry like a leech.

Lewis’ transformation and sudden outbursts are terrifying as they are darkly humorous. He convincingly shows how the money, power and oil have changed him, consuming him slowly but surely. At the end Daniel is almost unrecognisable; he seems possessed - a frail ghost in his dark, lonely mansion.

There are certainly dark overtones within the film; it seems H.W becomes possessed when he is deafened by the oil outburst, as if the oil is from the pits of hell, this would explain Plainview’s possessed soul at the end of the film.

The pace might frustrate many, the only set piece being in the middle of the film (it’s quite stunning) but there is no doubt that the cinematography and unusual but excellent soundtrack will compensate for that.

The overall impression of the film is one hard to forget because it seems unique (I find it hard to categorize this film, especially in terms of genre) and the film is quietly encapsulating, you never feel isolated despite the setting and lack of society, especially female roles, which some critics have picked up on.

This film seems more of a psychological drama that explores the relationships that occur from one man's greed and obsession.

At first we applaud Daniel’s actions to take the orphan H.W as his own but H.W seems to run around for him and the true motives for the adoption Daniel explains later on in the film.

As already mentioned one minor criticism the film receives is the lack of female characters present; well there’s not a single female speaking part in Lawrence of Arabia - does that hinder its quality?

There Will Be Blood is a film that is great because of the sum of its parts. The writing and direction are excellent. Daniel Day Lewis gives a career (and perhaps decade) best performance.

The atmosphere created is fantastic, at times rather hallucinatory (Eli and Paul - the two brothers - are both inexplicably played by Paul Dano). It is the film’s denouement however, that will divide audiences and critics; it will either leave you cheated (The Times recently voted it one of the worst endings of all time) or left in a temporary state of awe.

Either way you cannot deny its emotional impact; never before have I seen a laughing audience suddenly turn to silence.

The change in mood that was created in such a short space of time is unparalleled in any scene I have seen. Audiences expecting a scene of redemption or self-realisation from Daniel Plainview should rethink. After all we witness, it should become apparent that nothing would save Daniel’s possessed soul now. Consumed by greed and money, he is too far-gone.

Paul Thomas Anderson has confirmed with this film that he is an authoritative auteur and is, along with David Fincher, now heading the new generation of great American filmmakers.

He is a filmmaker who is maturing scarily-fast, daring to make utterly unique films with a clear vision.

There Will Be Blood in many ways reminds me of Raging Bull; its examination of masculinity and its unflinching portrayal of the most bitter individual will make this film, like Raging Bull, hard to like.

With its overwhelming character study, shocking and awe-inspiring moments and a nightmarish vision packed with ideas and some rather unfathomable moments.

There Will Be Blood is one of the true greats of this decade.