There Will Be Blood

'There Will Be Blood' opens with a shot of a trio of desert mountains set to a horrific barrage a nightmarish strings. Given the film's title and the sense of feverish anticipation regarding the director, star and composer; it suits the film well. 'There Will Be Blood' tells the tale of a battle for oil-rich land around the outset of the 20th century. As with his last opus, 'Magnolia', director Paul Thomas Anderson again has the Altman-esque feel for the epic. He shoots it like an epic, favors people over plots, and puts only the best actors in front of us.
Daniel Day Lewis plays the oil barron, Daniel Longview, with the kind of conviction and attention to detail that makes him maybe the greatest actor of his generation. He's a violent misanthrope with the same kind of classic, American wasp feel that made his work in 'Gangs Of New York' so fresh and hypnotic. His voice is strong, pronounced, and has an air of authority that still never feels exaggerated (as so often happens with actors using dialects foreign to their own). Longview is the classic antihero: alcoholic, cruel, selfish, struggles with feelings for his son, and cares about little else other than bringing oil up from the ground. In spite of his violence and cruelty, Lewis manages to make Longview endlessly watchable and, at times, hilariously funny. The scene in which he puts himself through a religious exorcism in order to secure rights to dig on a religious man's property manages to come off as hilarious in spite of the sea of unfunny emotions all over his face.
Paul Dano, who's been the indie 'it' boy as of late, really steps up here as the over-zealous young preacher whose religious fanaticism becomes at odds with Longview's cold logic. His absurdly round face and quivering rage make for a scarily convincing performance. Its hard enough for any actor to stand up to Lewis, let alone such a young one. But Dano's deadpan delivery and unnerving gaze succeed at driving Longview crazy. Anderson wisely rounds out the rest of the cast with unknowns, which makes it easier for us to go out into the desert a hundred years ago. It may not be the most hospitable world to spend over two hours in, but with such talent at the helm, you can't take your eyes off it.