I also want to offer an alternate review of There Will Be Blood. I saw this in the theater, just before it got all the Oscar buzz. I didn't want to go, it didn't sound like my type of film, but it was hubby's pick, so I obliged.
I was actually really glad that I went. The film is inspired by a book called "OIL!" by Upton Sinclair, and it inspired a lot of positive buzz and reviews from those of us that spend a lot of time reviewing and analyzing in the industry, mostly due to the acting and direction.
The story is about two different men ruled by their obsessions. Daniel Plainview, a self-made oil tycoon, and Eli Sunday, a smooth talking manipulative faith healer and leader of a small town church. Both men want power, and through both of them the film dives into really heavy themes and characterization based on power, faith, ambition, corruption, evil, and most of all, madness.
The acting is pretty incredible. Daniel Day-Lewis certainly deserved the Oscar he won for his portrayal of the oil man, whose sanity grows seemingly more nonexistent throughout the film. Visually, the director did a great job, alternating between gorgeous widescreen shots of the desert and dark, (sometimes creepy) close ups of the actors, leaving the audience with layered images of the simpleness of American landscape mixed with the complexity of the humans that inhabit it.
I admit, this film isn't for everyone. It's very slow moving, but it's thorough in its plot and character direction. But if you can handle that, I'd highly recommend taking the time to check this one out. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
