There Will Be Blood

The best part about this movie was Daniel Day-Lewis' performance as a crazed, self-proclaimed "oil man" who does whatever is necessary to realize his dream of becoming an oil tycoon. Every time Day-Lewis takes on a role, it is better than the last, and this performance is no exception. While I was hoping that Emile Hirsch might slip by to claim the Best Actor trophy (if he gets nominated), I don't see how anyone could surpass Day-Lewis. Anderson does a great job helming this film, utilizing sprawling scenery shots to provide an "epic" feeling within the film while also capturing more personal shots of the characters. Add to this the lively and almost old-time feel of the score, and this movie is great. However, then comes the length. About a half-hour of this film could have been shaved off various scenes (for example, even though I thought the first scene without dialogue was great, it could have been shorter). That, in addition to the odd ending (what was Anderson trying to say; was he commenting on the ineffectiveness of religion, or was he merely following through with the title's promise of blood?) threw me off a little. Regardless, see this film for Day-Lewis' performance alone.

Grade: B