I am not sure why this movie is as good as it is, almost nothing happens for over two hours. Nonetheless, for whatever reason, this film is absolutely enthralling. There Will Be Blood is the story of a Texas oil man's struggle to create a business, and how it shapes his family, his religion, every aspect of his life. I really, really liked this movie, but as I mentioned above, I am not 100% sure why. The film is very unconventional. It picks up in the middle of the main character, Daniel Plainview's life. There is no explanation as to what has or even is currently happening to him. The movie skips ahead in time, sometimes quite significantly. This film has no conclusion, no resolution; it basically just ends. As far as I can tell, there is no great moment of revelation, no great success or failure, there is no reckoning or repentance; plain and simple, the movie just is. All that said, There Will Be Blood is terrific, and my only explanation is that it all has to do with Daniel Day-Lewis. He is so good in this film that I would have watched him play this character for an additional two-plus hours. He is so perfectly cast and so convincing as Daniel Plainview that watching him awkwardly accept awards like the Best Actor Oscar for this role is almost disappointing. I find that I almost prefer the character to Day-Lewis real life persona. Nonetheless, Day-Lewis is truly deserving of the accolade; winning his second Oscar cements him within the upper echelon of the best actors in history. The writing in There Will Be Blood is amazing, the dialogue from Plainview in particular. Everything he says is a classic one-liner, and Day-Lewis' delivery is perfect. I had been dying to see this film since it was released, and I can comfortably say that I was not disappointed. My wife was disappointed in me for watching this one without her, but I will happily see it again. With another actor, this film maybe garners 2 stars; with Daniel Day-Lewis, I give There Will Be Blood 4 stars.
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