There Will Be Blood (2007)

This operatic portrait of a diabolical oil baron is a formal tour de force and a compelling portrait of all-American 20th century sociopathy.

Partly based on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil!, Paul Thomas Anderson’s portrait of a megalomaniac is a grand accomplishment, on a different scale to earlier works such as Boogie Nights (1997) and Magnolia (1999).

The film is constructed around a bravura performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, an itinerant prospector who sniffs out oil in 1911 California, and sets in motion a feud with a fervent young preacher (Paul Dano) that will dog both men for decades.

Anderson handles the sprawling story with assurance and style, and the film also boasts spectacular photography of apocalyptic desert industry by Robert Elswit and an evocative musical soundscape by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. But it’s Daniel Day-Lewis’s picture. His Plainview is proud, cold, conflicted, compelling and some kind of symbol for the American century.

2007 USA
Directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson
Produced by
Joanne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Lupi
Written by
Paul Thomas Anderson
Featuring
Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O'Connor
Running time
158 minutes

Ranked in The Greatest Films of All Time poll

Sight and Sound

Who voted for There Will Be Blood

Critics

Arun A.K.
India
Oris Aigbokhaevbolo
Nigeria
Roberta Ciabarra
Australia
Manohla Dargis
USA
Angie Errigo
USA/UK
Nicole Flattery
Ireland
Charles Gant
UK
Jamie Graham
UK
Stephen Hughes
UK
Bruce Isaacs
Australia
Thierry Jobin
Switzerland
Miklós Kiss
Netherlands
Diego Lerer
Argentina
Matthew Leyland
UK
Kjetil Lismoen
Norway
Paul Lynch
Ireland
Ross Maclean
UK
Demetrios Matheou
UK
Wesley Morris
USA
Jaanus Noormets
Estonia
Tobias Rydén Sjöstrand
Sweden
Youssef Shazli
Egypt
Kate Stables
UK
Maria Ulfsak-Šeripova
Estonia
Alissa Wilkinson
USA

Directors

Jessica Ashman
UK
Aditya Assarat
Thailand
Anurag Kashyap
India
Fisnik Maxville
Switzerland
Marcos Mereles
UK
Kemp Powers
United States

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