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Movie Review - There Will Be Blood (2008)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Paul Thomas Anderson |
| Starring: |
Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano |
| Rated: |
R (for some violence) |
| Length: |
158 minutes |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Tagline: |
There Will Be Greed. There Will Be Vengeance. |
| Studio: |
Paramount Vantage |
| Website: |
There Will Be Blood |
| Release: |
January 18, 2008 |
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PLOT
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Set on the frontier of California's turn-of-the-century petroleum boom, There Will Be Blood chronicles the rise of Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), who transforms himself
from a down-and-out silver miner into a self-made oil tycoon. Day-Lewis' Oscar audition ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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There will be mixed emotions. Going into the film I didn't really know what to expect. Coming out of the film, well, I didn't really know what to think. What started as an
authentically interesting look at turn-of-the-century oil drilling slowly meandered its way to a conclusion so bizarrely silly that it might as well have been accompanied by
Benny Hill's theme music.
With no real discernible story of which to speak, and a noticeably long 2.5+ hours with which to not speak it, There Will Be Blood's primary raison d'être (sorry, just
trying to imitate the elitist critics drooling all over this production) is to serve as an Oscar showcase for Daniel Day-Lewis. Prior to entering the theater doors, you need
to readily accept that this is a character study, and as such, Daniel Plainview is definitely a character in which Day-Lewis fully immerses himself. Plainview is a man who
does not like humanity. He sees the worst in people, and it's unsettling to witness the restrained psychosis of Day-Lewis' gradual unhinging. Good luck finding a moment of
ease.
But as good as Day-Lewis is, I have to admit he lost me a bit in the film's Three Stooges climax. Don't worry; you're not at Christmas dinner. That's just Day-Lewis, hamming it up,
and kicking his Oscar audition into overdrive. He makes sure to chew every piece of meat off the ol' scenery rib. Once the bowling balls started flying and Eli Sunday (Paul Dano)
started his Chris Tucker-esque screeching, the audience started giggling and I started wondering what in the world was going on.
Set against the beautiful cinematography of early 20th century California, the film looks and feels beautiful and genuine. And the music, while effectively setting the film's
disturbing tone, is nails-on-a-chalkboard annoying. In fact, there are two things that make this film a rental: 1) The fast-forward button, and 2) Volume control. The score (with
its screaming violins) forced my sister to cover her ears several times, looking for relief. It's relentless.
And why was this two and a half hours long? The film initially grabbed me, and I was compelled to watch where the journey was going. But once I realized it was taking forever to
get there, I started to wonder if it was actually going anywhere. Then by the time it arrived at the final credits, all I could think was, "And it took THAT long to get
THERE?"
Oh, and just a warning - if you see this at the theater then do not drink lots of liquids beforehand. About two hours in I was really starting to do the movie seat boogie,
and let me tell you, it's not my favorite dance in the world.
So, like I said, I really walked out of the theater torn over my opinion. Intriguing start, authentic look, great performances. But it's not something I would care to watch
again, and it's definitely a film that would have benefitted from a little more time spent in the editing room. This is not for general audiences. Watch the trailer. Your resulting
excitement or indifference will likely translate into your opinion of the film.
You know all those people saying Day-Lewis gives one of the greatest cinematic performances of all time? Yeah, he's good, but come on. All you have to do is watch
No Country for Old Men or 3:10 to Yuma from this year alone if you want to see some
acting exhibitions that are better. Agree or disagree if you want. This is just my opinion; you could be wrong.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Daniel Day-Lewis' mustache, while impressive, simply cannot compete with any of the 'staches that Josh Brolin put on display in 2007.
- Filmed in Murfa, TX.
- THERE WILL BE BLOOD began with Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!, although the tale took off in its own cinematic direction from there. While in a London bookshop, a
homesick Paul Thomas Anderson spied the novel and its California-themed cover instantly drew him. Once he began reading, he was compelled by Sinclair's view of the state in a
time when tenacious, risk-taking oil prospectors were changing the then-rural landscape with derricks and oil fields.
- In addition, Anderson read numerous books and was especially influenced by The Dark Side of Fortune, an acclaimed biography of Edward Doheny by Margaret Leslie Davis,
which recounts Doheny's rise from an intensely driven son of immigrants to a failed silver miner in Silver City, New Mexico to an icon of fame, power, as well as corrupting greed
as California's first big oilman.
- Two years elapsed between the time Daniel Day-Lewis accepted the role of Daniel Plainview and production began, giving the actor time to contemplate both the life of a
turn-of-the-century oilman and the crevices of Plainview's soul. He became fascinated by the primal nature of digging for oil and by the feverish frontier dreams it inspired
in many - only a few of whom succeeded in attaining the ultimate in power and fortune. He closely studied Doheny and other oilmen of the era. Then, on the set, he inhabited
the character completely, utterly, frighteningly, just as Paul Thomas Anderson knew he would.
Says Anderson: "It's a privilege to work with Daniel Day-Lewis and few directors have had that privilege. I had to work up the courage to ask him, but I always knew there was
only one man for the job."
- In Marfa, production designer Jack Fisk chose the 50,000-acre Maguire Ranch on which to build the sets because it was a wide open space that featured a must-have: railroad
tracks. "The great thing about this location," says Fisk, "is that we were able to have all the sets on the one ranch. They might be two miles apart but it was all the same ranch.
Paul and I were able to walk around the ranch visualizing things," explains the production designer. "We picked a place for the derrick and then the Sunday family Ranch and then
we saw a little rise in the distance and said, that'll be a good place for the church. So we had a sort of triangle with the church, the ranch and the derrick."
- The Sunday Ranch was built without blueprints, largely by instinct. "I thought 'what would I do if I was farmer out there?' 'How would I build a shelter for my family?' I
really love working through character," says Fisk.
- For the church, Fisk kept things sparse to reflect the fact that the congregation had no funds to spare when it was built. "We got the idea to build it in the shape of a
cross, so it's this little pathetic church on the hill trying to mimic a great European cathedral. We didn't even put windows in, just the cut-outs of Gothic shapes," he explains.
"And there is no flooring, just dirt."
- It took about three months for the crew to build the entirety of Little Boston by hand.
- Moving on from Texas to Southern California, Fisk created a very different type of set with the lavish yet neglected mansion in which an older Plainview dwells at the climax
of the film. These scenes were shot in Los Angeles' famed Greystone Mansion, built in the 1920s, not coincidentally, by oil tycoon Edward Doheny for his son, who died in a
murder/suicide before he ever occupied the 55-room, 46,000 square foot home.
- Daniel Day-Lewis was in Gangs of New York with John C. Reilly who was in Nightwatch with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Language isn't that extreme - a handful of G-d**ns are the only real offenders. There are a few moments of disturbing violence that'll make you wince. And I know what you're
thinking - is there blood? Yes, there is some. Not much, but the film does deliver on its title's promise.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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Let the trailer - and this review - be thy guide.
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THE GIST
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There Will Be Blood is not for commercial audiences. See it if the trailers grab you or the hype behind Day-Lewis' performance compels you. Wait for the DVD if you have the
patience and would like to watch in smaller, more digestible chunks.
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