There Will Be Blood (Theatre) - Ashleigh

I had high hopes for this film. I have enjoyed Daniel Day-Lewis’ performances in the past and he is one of the few actors I actually follow. This movie is on the top of many lists this year, and is up for eight Oscars. But to be blunt, I was not fond of the movie. Daniel Plainview played by Daniel Day-Lewis is a riveting character. The performance is as powerful as Day-Lewis’ Bill the Butcher with just a little bit of compassion thrown in. He commands the screen with the power of a father and a shrewd businessman. His antagonist, Eli Sunday, played by Paul Dano was equally well constructed. I would posit that Dano may have gotten the better of Day-Lewis but for Day-Lewis’ subtle work when he is not at the height of emotion. This movie portrays two actors at the pinnacle of their craft. Yet, I was not fond of the movie. The soundtrack was beautifully constructed with careful attention to the nuanced performances and the bleak setting. The largely stringed arrangement ebbed through the starkly captured American west holding the viewer on edge in anticipation of God-only-knows. However, I was not fond of the movie. The two most powerful scenes, a mirror of each other, where to two protagonists battle each other in a desperate attempt to destroy the other left me drained. They defy each other to denounce their religions, one who’s devotion to himself is selfish at best and megalomaniacal at worst, and the other whose devotion to God is frighteningly posed. Each one falls to the other's demands and in the end are destroyed by the other. These scenes alone are some of the most powerful put to film this year. Though, I was not fond of the film.
My largest complaint is the misstep in introducing Paul, Eli’s brother. The confusion this character represents deflates Dano’s character’s motives. Is he Eli? Many critics think so, despite P.T. Anderson’s denial. If he is not and is the twin of Eli, where was he the rest of the film? I know Daniel gave a synopsis of his life to Eli in their final battle - this actually was a barb Daniel pushed into Eli to draw blood, but that fact makes the character even more confusing. P.T. Anderson’s refusal to construct a plot also hinders my admiration for this film. This is common practice for Anderson, and one of the cardinal reason why I haven’t enjoyed most of his work. I’m not saying all movies need a plot, but Anderson pretends he has constructed one, and I hate this lie.

6 out of 10: I wouldn’t recommend this film, but the acting is beyond anything I’ve seen in the last year.