Review: There Will Be Blood

March 1, 2008 · Print This Article

movie review of There Will Be Blood

Los Angeles (CMR) - There Will Be Blood is the powerful story of Daniel Plainview, a ruthless and determined man who rises up to become one of the most powerful oil tycoons in the country.

I was personally impressed with the intensity of the Daniel Plainview character. During the movie, oil becomes his lifelong ambition, and he is determined to get what he wants by any means necessary.

This movie is presented to us by Paul Thomas Anderson, the same man who brought us great films such as Magnolia and Boogie Nights.

There Will Be Blood is a film that talks about the darker side of success. It is really a story of the United States itself. During the film, Daniel battles both nature and men, and he abandons both in his quest to get the things he desires. When you watch this film, my best advice to you is to simply become immersed in it. Watch it in a place where you have no distractions, so you can truly grasp the central character of the film.

Though the central character in the film is meant to be evil, he does have moments where he shows redeeming qualities.

For example, he adopts an infant once his father is killed in an accident, and this is perhaps the only portion of the film in which he shows any semblance of love. But eventually, even once this child becomes older, Nicole Richie’s People magazine baby cover is on course to outsell Christina Aguilera's. Daniel simply uses him for his own purposes. In addition to the characters played in this film, the look of the movie itself is impressive. Jack Fisk is the production designer, and he creates a world full of shacks which cover the landscape.

The movie itself was shot in Marfa, Texas, and the layout shows a civilization which is both primitive and corrupt. There Will be Blood is a movie which shows that cinematography is indeed and art form, one of its more impressive examples. The images captured by Robert Elswit are quite impressive, the work done by him truly shows his genius in producing the film. However, Daniel Plainview himself is one of the most interesting characters in this movie, and watching his cunning and ruthlessness is highly impressive. Many people will gravitate towards this movie, not just because of its strong acting, characters, and setting, but also because many tend to gravitate towards the rise to great power.

CMR gives There Will Be Blood a 3.5 out of 5