There Will Be Blood - Review
There Will Be Blood - Review
Written by Joseph Ganley
I have never particularly liked Daniel Day-Lewis. I wince whenever I hear the painfully cliched 'actor of his generation' tag that seems to follow him like a shadow and feel a twinge in my stomach whenever I recall the overwrought, torso-intensive The Last of the Mohicans. Therefore it was with some trepidation that I absorbed the overwhelmingly eulogistic critical praise that has been heaped upon his latest tour de force. For despite the laudatory wonder that accompanies each twist and contortion of Day-Lewis' world-weary face, I see him as a somewhat showy actor, one that always plays the most bombastic and destructive characters available, as if to merely augment his reputation as an actor of incredible dynamism and ascetic dedication.It is with some relief and even surprise, then, that I can report that Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood leaves an indelible impact on the senses. Reading the press and deciding that I simply had to go and see this film, I felt somewhat like a reticent altar boy, raising himself from a deep lull to attend Sunday's service; as a fan of cinema, I had to at least give this film a chance. After the opening twenty minutes, it became very clear that this was a cinematic experience unlike any other I had endured before. This is not to say that the film is superior to Citizen Kane as some sensationalists have implied, or even superior to my personal choice for film of the year, Juno. Nevertheless, it has some unique qualities and a fresh, almost avant-garde approach to mainstream filmmaking.
Much of the credit for these qualities must go to the director, an esteemed figure in Hollywood at the relatively tender age of 37. Although successes with Boogie Nights and Magnolia have left Paul Thomas Anderson with a promising reputation, There Will Be Blood feels like a massive statement, and it undoubtedly marks the admission of a major new player into film's hallowed circle of auteurs.
The almost wordless opening scenes sets the precedent with an elemental tone that persists throughout the lengthy 158-minute running time. Day-Lewis' character Daniel Plainview is shown chipping at rocks in a deep and darkened chasm: dirty, alone and forlorn.
After the womb-like opening to the film, Plainview finds oil and begins his crusade to establish a hegemonic place at the helm of the oil industry. Day-Lewis' involvement in the film has meant that a large chunk of public attention has been concerned with his individual performance, though this film's undoubted subject is the United States of America and in particular, the battle between religion, family and money that tempered its stuttering, arduous birth.
As in George Stevens' 1953 classic Shane and the Coen Brothers' contemporary No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood portrays America with an interesting mix of mythic allusion and bone-crunching realism. The landscape is austere and desolate, possessing the gritty virginity that should characterise films concerned with the frontier and the American West. Unfortunately, lesser filmmakers often substitute appropriately muddy grime for the glossy and picturesque allure of the Californian countryside.
The greatest revelation of the film is its music, composed by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. Virulent orchestral swirls and creaking string stabs lather a thick layer of portent and ferocity which, when complimenting the intensity of Day-Lewis, gives an unrelenting impression of tension and unease. Shattering, cascading tambourines are one example of the unusual textural mix that gives the score a freshness in keeping with the film’s progressive cinematography and acting.
You will often hear that a film simply 'has to be seen at the cinema', but this is an undoubted truism when considering There Will Be Blood. Having seen the film three days ago, the complete impounding of the senses that Anderson's film promulgates has proved both revelatory and durable. This is not a film to be endured via DVD, while grappling with a box of fried chicken or fighting your spouse for space on the sofa.
Despite the innovative nature of the film, I feel it is somewhat impossible to engender any compassion for it. The story and characters are cold, heartless and sad, with very little humour. Similarly to Roman Polanski's The Pianist, which presented a bleak yet beautiful picture of World War 2 Poland, There Will Be Blood can barely be described as even pleasant or enjoyable. Yet, it is utterly captivating from start to finish, eminently quotable and fascinating in conjunction with any interest in the country that still dominates so much of our cultural and political experience. Just don’t take your date!