There Will Be Blood

By Julian Broudy

At first glance, the title of Paul Thomas Anderson’s new and most epic film, There Will Be Blood, appears to be warning spectators that the film is a violent, bloody rampage. However, There Will Be Blood truly refers to the blood that runs deep within a family, the blood of Christ, and the blood-like oil that pumps though the arteries of the Earth. Anderson mixes these vital fluids together, painting There Will Be Bloodd< as an unforgiving portrait of family, religion and greed. This is a magnificent departure for Anderson whose other films, like Boogie Nights and Magnolia, were flamboyant, ensemble dramas. There Will be Blood, instead, is a dreary, tragic journey into the dark soul of one man whose grand ambitions ultimately betray him.

The film opens in 1898 with the protagonist, Daniel Plainview (played by the frighteningly brilliant Daniel Day-Lewis), silent and alone as he digs deep underground for oil. His clothes tattered, and beard overgrown, Plainview revels in his solitude. The lack of dialog, the barren setting, and the harsh conditions set a primitive tone for the film and one is led to see the start of the film as the genesis of man, personified by Daniel Plainview. This concept of being the only one resonates with Plainview throughout the film, evident in his misanthropic actions toward all in his path. Plainview’s hatred for others only deepens as he becomes more and more successful in the oil business, and therefore, less dependent on others. The only signs of true affection to come from Daniel are directed toward his son H.W. (Dillon Freasier), his only familial connection. Daniel and H.W. are “a family business,” unstoppable in their prospects until they encounter the perfect location to drill, a small religious community called Little Boston, led by the town’s young preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano).

Plainview constantly refers to his enterprise as “family oriented.” He never uses the term family alone; it is always in conjunction with business, manipulating the term family, and his son’s love, as a means to achieve his goal of drilling oil and making a fortune. Anderson and Day-Lewis create this selfish, fanatical character with violent grace, making Plainview completely unpredictable and treacherous. Day-Lewis embodies Plainview fully, to the point where every blink seems beautifully calculated, and although one would think such a horrific character would turn an audience off, viewers are drawn to Plainview because he is so spectacular to watch. The only real adversary to Plainview is the teenage preacher Eli Sunday, played by the much underrated Paul Dano. Eli bases everything around his church and his devotion to God and Jesus. When something goes wrong, he blames it on the fact that Plainview did not allow him to bless the drilling operation. However, Eli is ultimately influenced by Plainview, and begins to manipulate his passion for religion for profit. Dano embraces Eli’s calm manner and explosive zeal to an alarming extent, and it is a shame that Dano has not received the acclaim he deserves for this role, due to being overshadowed by Day-Lewis’s performance.

Robert Elswit’s cinematography perfectly captures everything from the complex intricacies of the drilling apparatus, to the dusty plains of early 20th century California. Elswit’s exquisite shooting style causes the audience to look past the unremarkable and desolate backdrops, and believe that something deceitful is boiling underneath. Enhancing such dramatic visuals is the haunting score by Jonny Greenwood. The music is so present in the film that it becomes a character all its own, with its epic and impending swells. The use of musical motifs is also crucial to the meaning of the film. At the beginning, when Plainview is digging the oil well and later, when he is shoveling a grave, the same piece of score is used, implying that by digging for oil, he might as well be digging a grave.

With There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson creates devious contradictions between greed, family, and religion. The characters within the film listlessly disregard and manipulate some of the “purest” aspects of life as a means to nourish their greedy compulsions, and Anderson offers no retribution in this relentless, yet ingenious film. Some might criticize the film for going too far in its outrageousness, but in the end, if Anderson had been more contained in his vision, he would have been untrue to the character and motives of Daniel Plainview. Daniel Plainview can be never stopped, and will never be restrained, because as long as he pumps oil from the ground, blood pumps through his veins.