There Will Be Blood(John)

There is a reason this movie was nominated for so many Oscars. There is a reason Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for best actor. This is a freaking amazing movie and, whether you like it or you hate it, it's the pure definition of a movie you must see before you die.

Answer: Daniel Day-Lewis's performance. Question: Why is this movie so amazing? Time and time again, Daniel Day-Lewis has awed audiences with his performances. His performance in There Will Be Blood does not disappoint. He's known to be a very methodical actor and very picky about the movies he is in. This man shows us a perfect progression of a person whose greed an insanity basically destroys him. Daniel Plainview gets his wish: wealth beyond measure. But at the same time, he loses his sanity and his family because of that greed and competitiveness. I rarely find myself smiling during a movie, not because of a humorous moment, but because of the elation that I am feeling watching this person act on the screen. If Daniel Day-Lewis was not cast in this movie, it may very well have been forgettable. Not to leave the supporting cast out, the boy who played Eli/Paul Sunday was also excellent. He was able to be annoying and sympathetic at the same time which was very critical to the movie. The little boy(H.W. Plainview) also did a pretty good job.

The plot is fairly streamlined. Daniel Plainview is good at a certain thing and he has a specific goal in life. We follow his realization of that goal throughout the movie. Along the way, things hinder him from completing the goal. The main reason for this movie is to show the genius(and insanity) of Daniel Plainview. Plainview is a genius oil man. He's at the top of his game. But when it comes to connecting with other people, he's never been able to do that very well. We as the audience, learn exactly what's most important to him: wealth and winning. So, although the plot is minimal, what we experience along the way is amazing. Lastly, the last line of dialogue in the movie I thought was so perfect. It summed up the movie in numerous ways and was perfect.

The music was interesting. The music really consisted of clanks and clacking noises to simulate suspenseful moments and smooth swaying sounds when things were calm. I almost think this was a detriment to the film. When watching No Country For Old Men, there was hardly any music. And I think that made me more engrossed in the film. I wasn't taken out of the film with the music in There Will Be Blood, but I think it wasn't really necessary in some places. The visuals on the other hand were stunning. More than once, we are treated to these shots that pan out and give us a birds-eye view of the land. That combined with the authenticity of the sets made me truly get sucked into the world of 1900s oil drilling America.

There Will Be Blood is a movie that probably won't appeal to everyone. It takes a willingness to get sucked into the world of oil drilling and the insanity that Daniel Day-Lewis provides. But if you get sucked in, get ready for one heck of a good movie. I'll give it a 9.7 out of 10.

- John Murphy