There Will Be Blood

"I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!"

I had been wanting to see this movie for some time, especially with all the critical acclaim and awards it has been nominated for (and won). The movie starts out with no speaking for the first 14:30, but the music does a great job of setting the mood for the movie. (The score continued to be good throughout the movie). The movie was somewhat slow, but still enjoyable. If you're looking for an action-packed, "bloody" movie, you will be disappointed. However, if you're looking for a great piece of film-making that exposes a dark part of our past (and perhaps present), then this a good movie to watch. The movie is based on Upton Sinclair's book Oil (which I will have to read now), and does a great job of showing how the love of money can corrupt a human's soul (although in this case Daniel Plainview's soul may have already been corrupted). I don't know which character is creepier in this movie; Plainview (played by Daniel Day-Lewis), or the preacher, Eli Sunday (played by Paul Dano). Dano's "sermons" were just downright scary; Day-Lewis's performance bordered on the maniacal as well. Of course, Day-Lewis won an Oscar for this role, which was well deserved; he was amazing. The scene near the end with Plainview and his adopted son H.W. shows just how corrupted and twisted he has become. I did enjoy this movie, but I probably wouldn't watch it again. However, it does make one think about what is important in life, and which path one's life is headed down. I would recommend it to anyone who likes movies that show the realities of human nature and who also likes movies that make them think.