Review: There Will Be Blood

Amazing performances, amazing visuals and an amazing score combine for one of the most striking movie experiences of recent times.

This is a film that is defined by conflicting opposites - Good & Evil, Man & Boy, Spirituality & Soulless to list a few of many - and these conflicts are mirrored in the way the film is made: from the cinematography featuring many huge, expansive frames that really create a sense of a vast scale - contrasted by the minimalist script, with many sections viewed as a silent movie, low on dialogue and driven by the fantastic score by Johnny Greenwood. Yet this also results in the viewer being distanced as they struggle to work out characters and their true motivations.

Daniel Day Lewis rightly received plaudits across the board for his performance in the lead role of oil man Daniel Plainview but Paul Dano almost matches his level in his role of creepy preacher Eli and was once again criminally under looked in awards season.

This is a film which challenges its audience throughout, but this part of its appeal is equally its Achilles heel as you can never really describe watching its 2hr 30min plus runtime as an enjoyable experience throughout, yet it is one that still needs to be experienced for sure.