Movie Review: There Will Be Blood

I'm going to need a lot of superlatives for this one. Time to crack open the thesaurus.

There Will Be Blood centers on two narcissists - an oil man who must win at everything, regardless of the cost, and a preacher striving for personal glory. Their differences and similarities are explored through a series of emotional confrontations spanning two decades.

Daniel Day Lewis portrays the oil man magnificently. This is no stock character, but one with a complex range of emotions and motivations, and Lewis nails them all. The original score accents his performance, hinting at inner turmoil and stress. Light is expertly manipulated to produce the desired imagery and mood. The scenery is both bleak and majestic, perfectly suiting the overall message of the film.

I'd like to describe, in detail, the genius of specific scenes, but I'm afraid I'd spoil too much. There Will Be Blood is a work of art. There is nothing accidental or haphazard about it. Even if you don't normally enjoy dark stories with nary a hero in sight, you can still appreciate the artistic and intellectual purpose with which it's been crafted.

But, if perchance, you are a misanthrope like me - well, then this movie might just speak to your greyish, plastic soul. The confrontations between these two hate-filled characters made me giddy. I can't remember ever leaving a theater feeling so happy and complete.

Go see the movie. It's slow at times, but well worth your patience. Easily, it's my favorite film in the past 2-3 years.

See, Sherry? I do like stuff once in a while.