Paul Thomas Anderson comes into his own with There Will Be Blood, a sprawling American epic that is as intimate and intense as it is grandiose and unstoppable. Having been half-hailed and half-hated for his blissful earlier experiments, including the music fueled melodrama Magnolia and the neurotic Adam Sandler tragicomedy Punch-Drunk Love, Anderson makes his long awaited return with an unquestionable masterpiece that will satisfy his longstanding fans as well as earn him new converts. He has never made a film so boldly assured in tone and style. While his excessive long takes and eye popping visuals were deemed "indulgent" by critics of his earlier films, they are used here in a way that is downright masterful. Every frame is flawless and each sweeping camera movement electrifies the screen with a buzzing energy. This film is alive and breathing in ways most films only dream of being. Anderson's style could not be better suited for both the hellish narrative and the bittersweet visuals of rustic America that offer both stunning landscapes and bleak living conditions.The story focuses on the devilish Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) who strikes oil in the early 20th century and sets out to become a leading tycoon of the time. His pursuits bring him to a small town where the farms are failing and the people have fallen under the guidance of a young preacher and self-proclaimed prophet named Eli Sunday (Paul Dano). Sunday, a self-interested icon of the town's old ways, clashes with his new competition. The two men wage covert wars against one another, Plainview rapes the town of its culture and resources, and ultimately what we witness is just a growing sense of evil and despair. Plainview, Sunday, and the whole town come against one another in constant conflict and the dark soul of the film only grows darker. It culminates in a scene so unexpectedly raw and devastating that it would be a disservice to the film to even synopsize it here. To put it in broad terms, Plainview's devastation of the town and its old ways is as complete and gruesome as one could imagine and his vileness only ripens further as he becomes gnarled and craggy in his old age. The film closes on a bold and grippingly brutal moment that embodies the entire culture conflict of the film in just a few unforgettable frames. This is a true masterpiece that should not be missed.
Grade: A
