Movie Review: There Will Be Blood
“There Will Be Blood” was not what I expected overall. Great acting certainly, especially by Daniel Day-Lewis as the oil hungry Daniel Plainview and Paul Dano playing brothers Paul Sunday and the fanatical Christian healer Eli Sunday. I think it comes down to lack of caring enough about the characters because they were so evil. I don’t think this had as much to do with the actors but more likely the screenplay. I wanted to feel more for both these shattered, broken men but there just wasn’t enough for me. If that was the point of the screenplay it was achieved.
Generally when an actor plays the bad guy the most interesting performances show glimpses of what causes them to be vulnerable and what causes them to be who they are. A good example of this is Russell Crowe’s villian in “3:10 to Yuma”. There were moments of real feeling as a parent to son for Day-Lewis but these were the only moments of this apparent in the character. Day-Lewis is a brilliant actor and here was of course no exception. Paul Dano was outstanding in a very difficult role to pull off up against a formidible actor. Playing on screen brothers is one thing, playing one of the brothers who is as deranged as the Day-Lewis character is another. Dano’s excellent performance as the brother in “Little Miss Sunshine” shows the versatility of this young actor.
The feel of the movie is gritty and authentic. Good direction, expert lighting and a fine ensemble cast is another reason to watch this film. This is a movie to see primarily for the outstanding performances of the lead actors. On the strength of the acting I’m rating this movie higher than it should be as a whole.
2008. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson-. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Dillon Freasier, Barry Del Sherman, Paul F. Tompkins.
Rating: 
