Movies: There Will Be Blood

"There Will Be Blood" is one of those movies that's sure to provoke mixed opinions. On the one hand, it's a quirky period film with enough violence and memorable moments of bizarreness to stay in the mind (if you're familiar with director Paul Thomas Anderson's other films, like "Magnolia" and "Punch-Drunk Love," you'll know what I mean). On the other, it's bloated and overlong, with the running time inflated by some needless subplots. In the end, though, the movie is saved by a great actor.

Daniel Day-Lewis (almost a shoe-in for the Oscar) delivers another fine performance here as Daniel Plainview, an oil man who is driven to compete with others. The movie depicts him as a hyper-capitalist, in the Baudrillard sense: he is so bent on conquering others and becoming successful that he is not motivated by wealth or greed (he is offered a million dollar buyout by Standard Oil but flatly refuses). The coda of the film takes the premise to its absurd conclusion (I guarantee you'll want a milkshake after watching this movie). In the end, the title, "There Will Be Blood," is both true and false (hint: "blood" has more than one meaning).

The soundtrack (consisting mostly of the piercing strings you hear in the trailer) is excellent, and all the trappings of the production, including the costumes and the sets, ring true to the turn-of-the-century rural America where the film is set. Visually, the stark California deserts provide plenty of punch, while the many closeups of Daniel Day-Lewis' grizzled face allow the actor to really hog the spotlight...much like his character.

Rating: 8/10