This review was written in anticipation of Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest movie “One Battle after another “ .
There’s a line in the Godfather, where Al Pacino says,”it’s strictly business,nothing personal”. In Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film There will be blood, this divide between person and profession is blurred. The protagonist Daniel Plainview(played by Daniel day Lewis) is an oil monger. Everyone action he takes is to cater his economic interest.The internal turmoil and family crisis faced by the lead character is the essence of this movie.
The director throws the audience into the pages of a man’s life . A man who respects almost no one, a stern and aloof person who wouldn’t take a second’s hesitation to kill a person if he/she served as a hinderance.
By choosing to set his film in the late 19th century America, Paul Thomas Anderson not only recreates the mood of that time, but also gives us a taste of the religious fanaticism, cut throat competition prevalent in those days.
The beauty of this film are it’s performances. The director has designed the scenes in such a way as to give his actors enough room to improvise and feel free. Long takes, clever editing techniques and beautiful cinematography add to the realistic tone of the film. Shooting on 35mm film cameras gave the story a timeless look. However all of these fade in comparison to the lead actor’s aura.
Daniel Day Lewis as the terrifying, twisted, tainted yet tender oil-man delivered a tantalizing performance to cherish. From the subtle expressions to the bursts of anger, every second of his presence is just cinematic gold. We forget the fact that we are witnessing a fictional story. That is the power of a great actor.
Just like a Dracula which is hell bent on bloodlust, our lead character is fixated on drilling as much oil out of the ground as possible. Although the film is an allegory of America’s capitalistic and religious stand which is clearly seen in our protagonist’s actions , not even a single scene feels forced.
The best movies are the ones where there isn’t any direct preaching to the audience, however on doing a post-mortem of the film, all the hidden allegories, ideas, themes the director intended are unknowingly planted in our subconscious.
“There will be blood” is one such film, where we see the story-telling arsenal of a filmmaker reaching the pinnacle of excellence.
Watch this movie on a high clarity television/projection system with a good surround sound. Also do give a read of the original source of this film adaptation called “Oil !” by the American novelist Upton Sinclair.
-Sujay Pamidikalva
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