2008 Woodie Awards
They don't make them like this anymore
Taylor Hall
Issue date: 1/17/08 Section: Mixed Plate
"There Will Be Blood" is the kind of movie you walk into curious and walk out puzzled. A period drama set in early 20th-century California, the movie centers on the cantancerous Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), an oil tycoon who procures riches at the expense of his humanity.
When we first see Daniel, he is slowly picking at the walls of his well. The mountains screach with Johnny Greenwoods score and set up an ominous foreshadowing. It is the end of the 19th century and a shot of Daniel with his blanket and steel coffee cup stuck in the vast desert sets up a man that is suffering under the weight of his convictions. Then comes the fall.
In "Batman," Jack Napier falls into a vat of chemicals and becomes a heightened insane version of himself, the Joker. The same can be said of Daniel Plainview. A fall down his well could be seen as Daniel falling straight down into Perdition. The man who surfaces is a different man entirely, one so intent on greed that he drags himself all the way into town on broken bones to cash in his fortune.
Daniel procures wealth from his well and puts it into a ramshakle rig to dig deeper and deeper into the earth. The only reminder of Daniels previous character is in the adoption of his son, H.W., Orphaned due to Daniel's unsafe work conditions, the boy becomes the cataclysm for Daniel's humanity and helps him appear trustworthy to the people he hopes to steal from.
You'll wince at the decisions Plainview makes and be amazed at his cruelty. You'll find yourself rooting for him and hate yourself for it. Pay attention to how many times Plainview changes the subject whenever anyone asks him a question. Even something as small as "How's your son?" is greeted with a sneer and brushed away.
Daniel's antagonist comes in the form of Paul/Eli Whitney, played by Paul Dano. Paul sells out his family's farm to the tune of $5,000. The farm, so rich with oil it pours out the ground, turns out to have it's own demons. Bad luck continually strikes the new settlement with Bible-like plagues. Daniel places the fault square on Paul's shoulders, torments him endlessly and refuses to pay the family their $5,000, a sum that Daniel makes every week.
Paul hides behind his Christian convictions, while he uses the lord as a vindictive weapon against the devilish Plainview. He uses his church as a rallying point for the people confused by the prescence of the well. Thus begins a subdued battle between the two men for the souls of the town. One way Daniel fights back is by giving Paul the responsibility of blessing those that die trying to mine his oil.
The movie ties religion, humanity and brotherhood into the themes of good vs. evil. The movie isn't realistic in any sense though. It is meant to be an over-the-top reflection on industry, forms of greed and the religious and moral effects. The movie refuses to answer any questions while proposing new ones. The mix of characters and music, along with other confusing choices, has many critics calling the movie Stanley Kubrick's lost film.
The score by Johnny Greenwood, Radiohead's guitarist, is like the love-child of Philip Glass and Wim Mertens. It's a timeless score. Hard-hitting notes that bring to mind Daniel's menacing but industrious demeanor are heard throughout. The air siren that opens the movie on the mountains of the desert sets a feeling of dread that encompasses the whole film.
The movie is not for everyone, of course. It is Paul Thomas Anderson's most thought-provoking movie since "Magnolia" and is sure to win awards come Oscar time. Those who are intrigued by the themes and conversations will find a movie that is worthy of the critical press it has been receiving, though those wishing for lighter fare or action will be disappointed.
When we first see Daniel, he is slowly picking at the walls of his well. The mountains screach with Johnny Greenwoods score and set up an ominous foreshadowing. It is the end of the 19th century and a shot of Daniel with his blanket and steel coffee cup stuck in the vast desert sets up a man that is suffering under the weight of his convictions. Then comes the fall.
In "Batman," Jack Napier falls into a vat of chemicals and becomes a heightened insane version of himself, the Joker. The same can be said of Daniel Plainview. A fall down his well could be seen as Daniel falling straight down into Perdition. The man who surfaces is a different man entirely, one so intent on greed that he drags himself all the way into town on broken bones to cash in his fortune.
Daniel procures wealth from his well and puts it into a ramshakle rig to dig deeper and deeper into the earth. The only reminder of Daniels previous character is in the adoption of his son, H.W., Orphaned due to Daniel's unsafe work conditions, the boy becomes the cataclysm for Daniel's humanity and helps him appear trustworthy to the people he hopes to steal from.
You'll wince at the decisions Plainview makes and be amazed at his cruelty. You'll find yourself rooting for him and hate yourself for it. Pay attention to how many times Plainview changes the subject whenever anyone asks him a question. Even something as small as "How's your son?" is greeted with a sneer and brushed away.
Daniel's antagonist comes in the form of Paul/Eli Whitney, played by Paul Dano. Paul sells out his family's farm to the tune of $5,000. The farm, so rich with oil it pours out the ground, turns out to have it's own demons. Bad luck continually strikes the new settlement with Bible-like plagues. Daniel places the fault square on Paul's shoulders, torments him endlessly and refuses to pay the family their $5,000, a sum that Daniel makes every week.
Paul hides behind his Christian convictions, while he uses the lord as a vindictive weapon against the devilish Plainview. He uses his church as a rallying point for the people confused by the prescence of the well. Thus begins a subdued battle between the two men for the souls of the town. One way Daniel fights back is by giving Paul the responsibility of blessing those that die trying to mine his oil.
The movie ties religion, humanity and brotherhood into the themes of good vs. evil. The movie isn't realistic in any sense though. It is meant to be an over-the-top reflection on industry, forms of greed and the religious and moral effects. The movie refuses to answer any questions while proposing new ones. The mix of characters and music, along with other confusing choices, has many critics calling the movie Stanley Kubrick's lost film.
The score by Johnny Greenwood, Radiohead's guitarist, is like the love-child of Philip Glass and Wim Mertens. It's a timeless score. Hard-hitting notes that bring to mind Daniel's menacing but industrious demeanor are heard throughout. The air siren that opens the movie on the mountains of the desert sets a feeling of dread that encompasses the whole film.
The movie is not for everyone, of course. It is Paul Thomas Anderson's most thought-provoking movie since "Magnolia" and is sure to win awards come Oscar time. Those who are intrigued by the themes and conversations will find a movie that is worthy of the critical press it has been receiving, though those wishing for lighter fare or action will be disappointed.
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