"There Will Be Blood" ***

January 8, 2008

I took in the preview of the 5th film by Paul Thomas Anderson ("Boogie Nights", "Magnolia", Punch-Drunk Love"). He writes, produces, and directs this tale loosely based on the 1927 novel "Oil!" by Baltimore born Upton Sinclair. It's getting phenomenal reviews and, although I give it a thumbs up, it's not as way up as a lot of critics are giving it. I had problems with the overall length (2'40") and feel it needed some serious editing in sections that go on way too long. Depite that, it is worth every minute of that time to revel in Daniel Day-Lewis' absolutely mesmerizing performance that is so strong that I compare it favorably with the great Orson Wells in "Citizen Kane"! Based on that and the fabulous set production and score, I'm giving it a marginal 3 stars. Paul Dano (so good in last year's indie hit "Little Miss Sunshine") plays a young preacher whose father sells his family's oil rich land to Lewis-who is one greedy bastard. This good vs evil theme plays out over decades. We first follow Lewis' career that begins with prospecting for silver and ends with him a multi-millionaire who cares only about the fortune he can make and nothing for those he destroys along the way to fulfill that end. His descent into madness is so complete that his performance has stayed with me for days. Look for Oscar #2 for DD-L.