Movies of the Decade: 1. There Will Be Blood (2007)

There are those films that you see and you do not know what to think of it, once the credits roll. You want to give it a final judgment right there and then, but you know the film has not settled in right away. I have seen many films like this, but one has not left me as floored as Paul Thomas Anderson's “There Will Blood”. I knew even during the middle of the film I was witnessing a new age masterpiece in the works. I left the theater not knowing exactly what to think, I wanted to give it four out of four stars, but I knew I was being over zealous and needed to think. So to think, I saw the film 3 more times in a week. I can say that I have never, ever done this for any film, past or present. The film is a large scale, enthralling, American epic, creating an amazing period piece and being one of the best characters studies of the past decade. Our centerpiece is Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) a silver miner who has struck it rich with discovering a deposit of oil. Plainview becomes very wealthy after discovering the petroleum and looks to expand his empire. He is informed of a new deposit in the city of Little Boston, California and goes to see if he can purchase the land. There he meets a rival in Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) a church minister who has his own agenda. Along the way problems occur and mysteries are revealed, I will not divulge more because you should go see the film. Before “There Will Be Blood” P.T. Anderson's previous films (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) were usually categorized by the ensemble drama, with quick wit and crackling dialogue. But with this film he really pulls a 180 on himself. This film is nothing like his previous; a period piece that centers around one character who is in every single scene, unprecedented. The film is adapted from the Upton Sinclair novel “Oil” but there is not a whole lot of resemblance to that novel. The film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, but Anderson really poet's a lot of his own story into it, with using the themes and characters from the novel. It's one of the best freely adapted films. Anderson also technically thrives in the film. He has always been a very smooth director (he loves those long tracking shots) he does use them in this film, but is not immune to other camera style. Two shots that I cannot get out of my head is the putting out of the oil derrick and Plainview trying to sell his business to a town. The oil derrick scene is this big cinematic sequence that uses all of Anderson's techniques. What gets me about the scene with Plainview selling his business is the camera work. Anderson pans up to Plainview from the back of the room and he ever so slight starts to move the camera to Plainview's son, H.W. It's just an ever slight move, but something that I cannot get out of my head. Along with Anderson's impeccable writing and directing, Day-Lewis's performance is the best performance of this new century. We see a man who is so stubborn about expanding his empire, he makes heartless choices. He is so concerned with getting ahead that he makes these immoral decisions with knowing the implications he is creating. I got chills watching his performance in every single scene. Paul Thomas Anderson has created a new age masterpiece with “There Will Be Blood” people can call it over the top or campish, but they know it's important and my choice for the best film of the decade.

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