Who is the Audience for This Movie?

People who like unconventional storytelling.

What I Liked About This Movie

There Will Be Blood took home best cinematography and best actor at the 2008 Academy Awards. It was nominated for best editing among others. I am usually not one to agree with many choices made by the Academy but those three areas of the film were definitely deserving of being nominated.

I would liken the cinematography to what you would expect from a Stanley Kubrick (2001, Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket) movie. Almost every shot is captivating to look at it. To go along with the great visuals is some very interesting editing. Cuts between the scenes are not smooth as most people would be used too seeing. This style works effectively throughout the entire movie though.

Daniel Day Lewis took home an Oscar for his portrayal of Daniel Plainview. He has been in many good roles that have garnered him a lot of critical praise. I never really took note of him until this role though. His character progression throughout the movie is tough to watch because of his actions but the effort put into making the character really pop from the screen is phenomenal.

What Didn’t Work For Me

Many would say that after watching this movie Anderson was trying to channel Stanley Kubrick’s style of film making. It is a novel idea that pans out in every way except in the movies score. Kubrick often used loud very eerie music to set the mood and Anderson attempts to do the same in many parts of this movie. Unfortunately Anderson’s use of music is at times borderline annoying.

A unique style of storytelling is employed in this movie but I found some of the plot points unclear upon my first viewing that ruined parts of the movie for me. On the second viewing they were much clearer though. The main plot point that never made sense to me until second viewing is that the young man who warns Daniel of where oil can be found is actually the twin brother of the church pastor. This confusion for me was driven home by the fact that both characters are played by the same actor due to an actor pulling out at the last moment.

That last note nicely brings me to last point that bugged me about this movie. Eli Sunday (church pastor in the movie) on paper was probably a great character and if acted well would have been fantastic in the movie. Paul Dano just did not cut it for this role though.

Should You Watch This Movie?

Even with its flaws this is a daring film that many will not like but I still found captivating.

My Rating (Out of 13)

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