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Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview |
You have to dig this oil baron’s story
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Directed by PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
Certificate 12a
THIS sprawling saga of a ruthless oil tycoon’s rise to fortune at the turn of the 19th century has been compared to Citizen Kane – and with good reason, earning a shower of plaudits and eight Oscar nominations.
“It tackles all the big themes about America: blood, oil, religion,” was one verdict. Which means they’ll love it on the other side of the ocean – but nearer to home, despite a pile-driving performance from Daniel Day-Lewis, some of us are going to find it heavier going.
We see him first in 1898 as prospector Daniel Plainview, a lone bearded figure bathed in sweat, hacking away at the unyielding rocks 40ft down in a parched corner of Texas, obsessively searching for oil. His primitive equipment collapses around him, leaving him with a broken leg and a permanent limp.
But finally comes that stomach-churning rumble from the ground, and a deafening roar as the oil breaks through – making him rich overnight.
Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson charts Plainview’s rise to prosperity and social acceptance in gripping detail as it unfolds amid the Texan oil wells, antagonising the locals in a small town where he finds a fresh oil field, who are led by their preacher (brilliantly played by Paul Dano).
Day-Lewis dominates every scene as he wheels and deals his way to the top.
“I’m an oil man – and family man,” he assures the locals, softening them up to sell their land to him.
But behind the charm is a scheming chancer, ready to sacrifice anyone who stands in his path to locate that black gold amid the aching vistas of sand and scrub.
Backed by stunning photography and one of the most pulsating musical scores I can remember (credit to Jonny Greenwood), the director keeps the action as stark and barren as the scenery. Anderson boldly focuses close-up after close-up on his mesmeric star as the millionaire mogul is tipped towards insanity and – like Citizen Kane – retreats into isolation before a final deadly confrontation with his enemy.
Sadly, the last segment in this lengthy 160-minute epic falls apart in a climax that spirals over the top, with Day-Lewis going into overdrive before the wheels come off. But the first two hours are as close as you can get to a masterpiece. |
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