The addition of Plainview's alleged half-brother Kevin J. O'Connor into this equation gives Plainview, at last, someone to confide in, although he confides mostly his universal hatred. That Plainview, by now a famous multimillionaire, would so quickly take this stranger at his word is incredible; certainly we do not.
But by now Plainview is drifting from obsession through possession into madness, and at the end, like Kane, he drifts through a vast mansion like a ghost. The performance by Day-Lewis may well win an Oscar nomination, and if he wins he should do the right thing in his acceptance speech and thank the late John Huston. His voice in the role seems like a frank imitation of Huston, right down to the cadences, the pauses, the seeming to confide. I interviewed Huston three times, and each time he spoke with elaborate courtesy, agreeing with everything, drawing out his sentences, and each time I could not rid myself of the conviction that his manner was masking impatience; it was his way of suffering a fool, which is to say, an interviewer.
I have heard Peter O'Toole's famous imitation of Huston, but channeled through O'Toole he sounds heartier and friendlier and, usually, drunk. I imagine you had to know Huston pretty well before he let down his conversational guard. I am not sure of its greatness. It was filmed in the same area of Texas used by " No Country for Old Men ," and that is a great film, and a perfect one. But "There Will Be Blood" is not perfect, and in its imperfections its unbending characters, its lack of women or any reflection of ordinary society, its ending, its relentlessness we may see its reach exceeding its grasp.
Which is not a dishonorable thing. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from until his death in In , he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Rated R for some violence. Ciaran Hinds as Fletcher. David Willis as Abel Sunday. Kevin J. O'Connor as Henry. Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview. David Warshofsky as H. Sunday Colleen Foy as Adult Mary. Sydney McCallister as Mary Sunday. These harsh and dangerous working conditions work to show us how committed Plainview is to his cause, willing to put himself and the workers around him in life threatening conditions.
There is absolutely no need for dialogue, as the visuals speak for themselves. The introduction of Plainview as a hardworking man with endless ambition foreshadows the narrative and shows us he is willing to risk everything to conquer.
Plainview is ill equipped to be a father, but like most things in his life, he sees the young child as an investment, a tool to further himself. At the end of the opening sequence, Plainview and his new son HW are riding off on a train, one of the only times throughout There Will Be Blood that warmth and comfort pours from the otherwise stoic man. It is obvious that he has adopted HW as his own and initially it seems as though Plainview has formed a bond with the child, as the infant seems enamoured with him.
The next time we see Plainview — 13 years later — he has emerged as a grandiose figure, immensely self-assured and confident. Old fashioned but forever relevant, the central themes of There Will Be Blood are timeless.
There Will Be Blood undoubtedly transcends the time in which it was set and is a prelude to the driving force of American capitalism we were to see in the 20th century.
More prevalent than ever, oil is the foundation of American greed and religion is the cause of most conflicts, just as they are throughout the film. Plainview claims to be all about equal distribution of wealth in his search for oil. His surname is no coincidence.
The people of Little Boston are captivated by his self-assured nature and his use of large words and persuasive language. This is very much an all too familiar instance of the illiterate being taken advantage of simply because they are susceptible to a spectacle put on by a confident and well spoken man.
He is in almost every scene, his presence always commanding. Day-Lewis transforms into an enormous and hypnotic figure, looking down on everyone around him.
He displays a rainbow of human behaviour, but specialises in the loathing of mankind, which includes himself. From his voice to his stoicism, there is no doubt this film could not have been made without him. While it is easy to label Plainview as the sole antagonist, it is very important to remember that both men are corrupt and consumed by their cause.
Their relationship throughout the film is a constant confrontation. Plainview takes full advantage of his ignorance and lack of experience to pay him and his family less than they deserve. Money is everything to Plainview and it is oil, not blood that runs through his veins.
While Eli still needs money in order for his church to survive, the battle between him and Plainview is essentially one of God vs money — Eli is a prophet of God while Plainview is a prophet of profit. Plainview looks upon the workings of the church with disdain, as there is no God in his eyes. He is all about the power of words, however when it comes to religion and God, he has nothing to say and wants absolutely nothing to do with any kind of practice.
Plainview takes great pride in slapping Eli around when he gets the chance, but Eli gets his revenge when Plainview is forced into being baptised for a business deal. There Will Be Blood occurs primarily outdoors, which is integral to the story. Plainview communicates best with the earth, as we know he has little to no need for people.
Full of long tracking shots along empty landscapes, Elswit was able to transform barren surroundings to postcard views. We see rich greens from the bushland, to fiery oranges and yellows during the oilrig explosion.
It also shows how the stresses of setting up a large business can twist and turn someone into a monster or a bigger one, depending on your impression of the protagonist. The role and power of religious leaders is also discussed.
Pretty much, the film is a criticism of what relatively unregulated capitalism can, but not necessarily, bring, as well as what delusions of power can do to a person specifically, financial and religious power. There does happen to be a bit of drinking and some violence within the movie, as well as tobacco use. Staunch conservatives and capitalists would also want to avoid this movie due to it's plot and themes, seeing it's based on the work of a socialist.
Positive Messages. Plainview is an oil man who goes out to seek land to buy, and to drill on. He is told about land that has oil. So he goes out to the land and thats when he meets Eli, played by Paul Dano.
Right when he meets Eli thats when the mental battle begins. There Will Be Blood is a great movie about greed, religion, vengence, and alchoholism. There Will Be Greed. There Will Be Vengence. There Will Be Blood. This title contains: Positive role models. Adult Written by Adam Razak November 7, There isn't really that much graphic violence in it, due to some swift editing.
There is blood and violence, but 14 year old teens and up shouldn't have a problem with it. This isn't a movie for everybody though.
It requires patience and close attention to detail, and I believe most 14 year olds will lose interest after the first 15 minutes. I, on the other hand, thought it was a brilliant film. I will keep this review short, but I must say one thing. Adult Written by jpoct2 April 9, Bad movie but very appropriate. This film is very slow but really has not enough violence really to make it R.
There are only 4 deaths and 2 of which are accidents and accidents happen. This didn't send a good message but not really a bad one either. Adult Written by B P April 9, An Instant Masterpiece of American Cinema Paul Thomas Anderson is becoming one of the finest directors of our time. The film is an instant classic and by far Best Picture of the year, and possibly of the decade An instant classic of new American cinema as we know it.
Adult Written by broadwaybaby April 9, This was brilliance, but it was that type of brilliance that you Adult Written by moviefan April 25, A Little Violent Non Gory There is no doubt violence in this movie, but most of it is the type of violence with no gore and little blood, the worst scene is the ending scene and kids can just cover their eyes, other than that two dead corpses are shown and a few non brutal mining accidents as well.
But I think the main part of why kids should watch this film is the fact that it has a really great message about greed and what it can do to a person, and that's something I think not only every child but every human should learn about in their life. Read my mind.
Adult Written by MC April 21, Adult Written by terty April 21, It should defiantly be PG it's kind of slow moving though so only show to your child if their patient and appreciate a great film. Go to Common Sense Review.
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