There Will Be Blood 2007 A Towering Portrait of Ambition and Ruin

 

There Will Be Blood (2007) Movie Review

Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood stands as one of the defining American films of the 21st century, a sprawling character study of greed, ambition, and moral corrosion built around one of cinema's most towering performances. Loosely inspired by Upton Sinclair's novel Oili, the film follows Daniel Plainview, a ruthless oil prospector whose relentless pursuit of wealth and dominance gradually consumes every relationship and shred of humanity he possesses.

Plot Overview

Beginning with Daniel's early, near-wordless years as a silver miner turned oilman, the film traces his rise from a solitary prospector into a powerful oil baron, using his adopted son H.W. as both genuine companion and calculated business asset. As Daniel's ambitions expand into the town of Little Boston, his fraught rivalry with the young, manipulative preacher Eli Sunday becomes a decades-spanning battle of wills between competing forms of American self-invention — capitalism and religious charlatanism — that ultimately consumes both men.

Performances

Daniel Day-Lewis delivers what's widely regarded as one of the greatest performances in film history, embodying Plainview's ruthless charisma and escalating isolation with terrifying commitment, culminating in a legendary final confrontation that has become one of cinema's most quoted and analyzed scenes. Paul Dano provides a compelling foil as Eli Sunday, matching Day-Lewis's intensity with his own brand of manipulative, self-righteous ambition, creating a rivalry that anchors the film's exploration of competing American myths.

Direction and Visual Style

Anderson's direction is defined by patient, deliberate pacing and stark, painterly cinematography that captures the harsh beauty of turn-of-the-century oil country, using wide, desolate landscapes to visually reinforce Daniel's growing isolation. The film's opening wordless sequence, tracking Daniel's early prospecting years without dialogue, immediately establishes the film's confident, methodical storytelling approach.

Score and Atmosphere

Jonny Greenwood's dissonant, unsettling score is inseparable from the film's unnerving power, using discordant strings and unconventional compositions to create constant tension that mirrors Daniel's simmering menace, even during ostensibly calm scenes.

Writing and Themes

At its core, the film explores the corrosive nature of unchecked ambition, using Daniel's relationships — with his son, his supposed brother, and his rival Eli — as casualties of his singular devotion to wealth and dominance. The film's examination of American capitalism and religious opportunism as competing, equally hollow paths to power gives it genuine historical and thematic weight beyond simple character study.

The Ending

The film's explosive, unforgettable final confrontation between Daniel and Eli delivers one of cinema's most devastating character conclusions, cementing Daniel's complete moral collapse with a finality that few films dare to commit to so fully.

Legacy

There Will Be Blood is widely regarded as one of the greatest American films of its era, frequently topping best-of-decade and best-of-century lists, and Day-Lewis's performance remains a benchmark against which subsequent dramatic performances are measured.

Final Verdict

There Will Be Blood succeeds as a towering, unforgettable character study, anchored by a legendary lead performance and Anderson's masterful command of tone and atmosphere.

Rating: 5/5

Essential viewing for serious film enthusiasts — a genuine American masterpiece whose power and ambition remain unmatched nearly two decades later.