There Will Be Blood...And Lots of Oil
Movie Review: There Will Be Blood
By: Grant Catton
In order to write a real REVIEW of this movie, I've had to distance myself from the simple fact that I loved it. It's much easier to write a review when you hate a movie, or can spot its flaws, or even believe it has a lot of flaws. In the case of There Will Be Blood, however, it's hard for me to do that, because even eight hours after stepping out of the theater, I'm still watching the movie in my mind. Suffice it to say (and then the emotional part of this review will be over), if the film is still playing by the time you read this blog, do yourself a favor and go see it.
Synopsis (With Spoilers)
In this film, Daniel Day Lewis stars as a self-described "oil man" at the turn of the 20th century, and the film centers almost solely on him and his methodical rise to wealth as a business man, which is accompanied by the gradual loss of his soul.
The film opens in 1898 when Lewis's character, called Daniel Plainview, is a solitary gold miner, plying his trade in the desert of California. In the first of many accidents and violent scenes in the film, Plainview falls down the shaft of one of his own mines and breaks his leg. Though his leg is broken, he begins to dig into the mine wall and seems to find what he has been looking for. He then drags himself out of the pit and through the desert, simply to show his findings to a smelter. It is unclear in the film whether this find was significant, but we see that Plainview's one overriding characteristic is determination. Throughout this film we see that same determination drive Plainview to lie, cheat, steal, and even kill, all in the service of a demon that is deeper and darker than mere greed.
During this opening period of the film, there is no dialog, but we see Plainview progress from a lone gold miner, to a member of a team digging for oil with hand shovels, and then digging with a makeshift drill. When one of Plainview's team is killed in an accident, Plainview adopts his infant son, calling him H.W.
The film's first real scene is when Plainview and H.W. are seated in the middle of what appears to be a town meeting. Plainview is trying to win the rights to drill for oil on the town's property by explaining his business methods and his expertise. He presents himself in a cold, calculating style that seems to inspire suspicion, more than trust, amongst the townspeople. Furthermore, it inspires the viewer with suspicion, and from this opening speech (if not from the previews) we know he is going to give us ample reason to dislike him.
Though Plainview does not gain the rights to drill in the town, his fortunes are changed forever by the appearance in his office of a stranger bearing information. The stranger has information about a farm in the desert where oil is literally seeping from the ground, and near to where oil conglomerate Standard Oil has already bought property.
Plainview immediately sets out for the farm, under the guise of being a quail hunter, and quickly puts himself into negotiations to buy it. He also quickly finds himself in conflict with Eli Sunday, the bible-thumping son of the farm's owner; a conflict which will end up deadly. Eli's looks are identical to those of the "stranger" who walked into his office days before, and Plainview seems as confused as we are about this.
The bulk of the film depicts Plainview's attempts to get oil out of the surrounding areas, as he breaks promise after promise to the Sunday family and the surrounding inhabitants. He suffers almost every kind of setback that could befall an entreprenuer on the rise; his son, H.W. is permanently deafened in an oil rig accident, he is pressured by Standard Oil to sell out, and he is approached and almost duped by a fortune-seeker posing as his brother.
By: Grant Catton
In order to write a real REVIEW of this movie, I've had to distance myself from the simple fact that I loved it. It's much easier to write a review when you hate a movie, or can spot its flaws, or even believe it has a lot of flaws. In the case of There Will Be Blood, however, it's hard for me to do that, because even eight hours after stepping out of the theater, I'm still watching the movie in my mind. Suffice it to say (and then the emotional part of this review will be over), if the film is still playing by the time you read this blog, do yourself a favor and go see it.
Synopsis (With Spoilers)
In this film, Daniel Day Lewis stars as a self-described "oil man" at the turn of the 20th century, and the film centers almost solely on him and his methodical rise to wealth as a business man, which is accompanied by the gradual loss of his soul.
The film opens in 1898 when Lewis's character, called Daniel Plainview, is a solitary gold miner, plying his trade in the desert of California. In the first of many accidents and violent scenes in the film, Plainview falls down the shaft of one of his own mines and breaks his leg. Though his leg is broken, he begins to dig into the mine wall and seems to find what he has been looking for. He then drags himself out of the pit and through the desert, simply to show his findings to a smelter. It is unclear in the film whether this find was significant, but we see that Plainview's one overriding characteristic is determination. Throughout this film we see that same determination drive Plainview to lie, cheat, steal, and even kill, all in the service of a demon that is deeper and darker than mere greed.
During this opening period of the film, there is no dialog, but we see Plainview progress from a lone gold miner, to a member of a team digging for oil with hand shovels, and then digging with a makeshift drill. When one of Plainview's team is killed in an accident, Plainview adopts his infant son, calling him H.W.
The film's first real scene is when Plainview and H.W. are seated in the middle of what appears to be a town meeting. Plainview is trying to win the rights to drill for oil on the town's property by explaining his business methods and his expertise. He presents himself in a cold, calculating style that seems to inspire suspicion, more than trust, amongst the townspeople. Furthermore, it inspires the viewer with suspicion, and from this opening speech (if not from the previews) we know he is going to give us ample reason to dislike him.
Though Plainview does not gain the rights to drill in the town, his fortunes are changed forever by the appearance in his office of a stranger bearing information. The stranger has information about a farm in the desert where oil is literally seeping from the ground, and near to where oil conglomerate Standard Oil has already bought property.
Plainview immediately sets out for the farm, under the guise of being a quail hunter, and quickly puts himself into negotiations to buy it. He also quickly finds himself in conflict with Eli Sunday, the bible-thumping son of the farm's owner; a conflict which will end up deadly. Eli's looks are identical to those of the "stranger" who walked into his office days before, and Plainview seems as confused as we are about this.
The bulk of the film depicts Plainview's attempts to get oil out of the surrounding areas, as he breaks promise after promise to the Sunday family and the surrounding inhabitants. He suffers almost every kind of setback that could befall an entreprenuer on the rise; his son, H.W. is permanently deafened in an oil rig accident, he is pressured by Standard Oil to sell out, and he is approached and almost duped by a fortune-seeker posing as his brother.
It is through all of these setbacks, these struggles, that we see Plainview's character revealed. At times we are almost tempted to sympathize with him, but his thin varnish of soul barely covers his deep reserves of twisted ambition and viciousness. Those reserves seem to spring forth from him, much like pressurized oil stuck in the ground (symbolism alert), whenever he thinks someone is trying to drill too deep into him.
The final, brief act of the film is set in the late 1920s. H.W. has been married, and Plainview now operates from an English-style country house inside which he has a bowling alley, and a makeshift shooting range. It is dark and bleak on the inside, and we get the sense that Plainview spends much of his time drunk, and the rest absorbed in business affairs. H.W. comes to visit and to inform Plainview that he is starting his own oil company in Mexico. Plainview sees this as an affront, and sends his son away amid a stream of drunken curses.
Days later, Plainview is visited by Eli Sunday, the bible toting son of the rancher from whom he purchased the land for his rigs. Eli seems to pinch the last nerve Plainview has left in his body, and a tragic fight ensues in which Plainview brutally murders the younger man. Plainview's butler finds him sitting next to the bloodied corpse, and heambiguously delivers the line, "I'm finished!" as though he were at the end of a satisfying meal.
Character
There is one character in this film. There are other actors who play necessary roles, but Plainview is the only one whose character evolves, or de-evolves, to any degree. Eli Sunday is an important figure, so is H.W., and even Plainview's impostor brother. These figures are, however, so much merely supporting roles that they almost become "concepts" rather than characters. H.W. is the only one who reveals any growth, physical or emotional, by the end of the movie, and we are left wanting to know much more about him than what this film allows us to see.
Plainview is an utterly intriguing character precisely because he flirts with likeability throughout the whole film. After a man in his employ is killed, he arranges for a religious service in the man's honor. When he finds out the head of the Sunday household is beating his daughter, we are meant to believe Plainview intervenes on her behalf. Thus, he is not bereft of spirit.
The main reason we want to like him is because of his relationship with his son, H.W. This is the chief way he shows his humanity. In one scene, he puts the boy on a train bound for a deaf-children's home, but abandons him before the train leaves. Even as he does this, he exhibits humanity by choking on his own tears as he watches the train leave. It is obvious he cares for his son, he just cares for his business more.
This seems to be the ultimate problem with Plainview; his desire to get ahead outweighs any other moral sense he might have within him. When he discovers he has been duped by an impostor, rather than take the man to the authorities, he murders and buries him. When Standard Oil offers him $1 million for his oil wells, which must be the equivalent of $50 million now, so that he can "take care of his family," Plainview threatens to sneak into the other man's house and kill him.
So what is driving this man? In several key moments of dialog with the man posing as his brother, Plainview reveals that he deeply dislikes humanity and wishes to make enough money to get away from other people, and that he is motivated not by money but by competition. In perhaps the most revealing line of the film, he says that he not only wants to win, but wants to make sure that no one else suceeds. These lines are slipped into the movie so gently, that it is easy to miss them and gloss over their significance, but they explain everything.
In spite of all this, I found it impossible to hate Plainview. Even in his darkest moment, some element of his humanity shines through, and he is piteable, rather than destestable. When he feels threatened by his son's business endeavor, he sends him away in a stream of invective, only find himseld writhing on the stairway in pain and self-loathing afterward. It is almost as though he cannot help himself, and deep inside, we are left with the sense that he hates himself for that.
Whatever compassion Plainview might generate, however, is almost totally destroyed when he clubs Eli Sunday to death. As annoying as he was, anyone else might have thought about doing the same thing, but Plainview is a man of action.
Major Themes
Character
There is one character in this film. There are other actors who play necessary roles, but Plainview is the only one whose character evolves, or de-evolves, to any degree. Eli Sunday is an important figure, so is H.W., and even Plainview's impostor brother. These figures are, however, so much merely supporting roles that they almost become "concepts" rather than characters. H.W. is the only one who reveals any growth, physical or emotional, by the end of the movie, and we are left wanting to know much more about him than what this film allows us to see.
Plainview is an utterly intriguing character precisely because he flirts with likeability throughout the whole film. After a man in his employ is killed, he arranges for a religious service in the man's honor. When he finds out the head of the Sunday household is beating his daughter, we are meant to believe Plainview intervenes on her behalf. Thus, he is not bereft of spirit.
The main reason we want to like him is because of his relationship with his son, H.W. This is the chief way he shows his humanity. In one scene, he puts the boy on a train bound for a deaf-children's home, but abandons him before the train leaves. Even as he does this, he exhibits humanity by choking on his own tears as he watches the train leave. It is obvious he cares for his son, he just cares for his business more.
This seems to be the ultimate problem with Plainview; his desire to get ahead outweighs any other moral sense he might have within him. When he discovers he has been duped by an impostor, rather than take the man to the authorities, he murders and buries him. When Standard Oil offers him $1 million for his oil wells, which must be the equivalent of $50 million now, so that he can "take care of his family," Plainview threatens to sneak into the other man's house and kill him.
So what is driving this man? In several key moments of dialog with the man posing as his brother, Plainview reveals that he deeply dislikes humanity and wishes to make enough money to get away from other people, and that he is motivated not by money but by competition. In perhaps the most revealing line of the film, he says that he not only wants to win, but wants to make sure that no one else suceeds. These lines are slipped into the movie so gently, that it is easy to miss them and gloss over their significance, but they explain everything.
In spite of all this, I found it impossible to hate Plainview. Even in his darkest moment, some element of his humanity shines through, and he is piteable, rather than destestable. When he feels threatened by his son's business endeavor, he sends him away in a stream of invective, only find himseld writhing on the stairway in pain and self-loathing afterward. It is almost as though he cannot help himself, and deep inside, we are left with the sense that he hates himself for that.
Whatever compassion Plainview might generate, however, is almost totally destroyed when he clubs Eli Sunday to death. As annoying as he was, anyone else might have thought about doing the same thing, but Plainview is a man of action.
Major Themes
This film is driven by several themes and the use of symbolism at all levels. From the most shallow, to the deepest, I believe they are as follows:
1.) Oil
This is not symbolism, so much as it is good timing. Little more than 100 years after this film is set, oil is the lifeblood of the world economy, wars have been and are being waged over it, and our nation's fortunes are tied to its price fluctuations. It is charming to see, on screen, this industry's origins as men dig for it with shovels in otherwise barren deserts.
Though Plainview obviously has personal defects, the pursuit of oil wealth ultimately ruins him. It seems the perfect business for someone like him; high-stakes, cutthroat, but profitable beyond most people's dreams. The oil industry just allows him a productive forum by which he can wage his personal war with himself and the world. How many others out there were like him, or ARE still like him?2.) Names
Plainview's son is named H.W. I have not read the book Oil!, on which this film is based, but I'm almost sure there is no character named H.W. in it. I can't believe this was anything else other than a direct shot at George H.W. Bush. If I'm mistaken, please inform me otherwise.
I've heard this film's director has a habit of this, but both Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano play characters who bear their own first names. Daniel Day Lewis = Daniel Plainview, Paul Dano = Paul Sunday and Eli Sunday.3.) Accidents/Violence/Blood
There are at least four oil-related accidents in this film. First, Plainview injurs himself by falling down his own mine after he has dynamited it. Second, in one of Plainview's first, makeshift mines, some tools fall from the opening of the hole above, killing the father of the little boy who would become H.W. Third, a drill bit fells a worker in one of Plainview's first mines at the Sunday ranche. Fourth, the initial oil strike at the Sunday ranch causes a blast that permanently deafens H.W., who is innocently seated nearby.
Plainview's first accident, and his perseverance after it, show that he is tough and determined. Knowing how this film ends, it is symbolic that his first discovery (in that case, of gold) is accompanied by an injury. In a way, this could be seen as a curse, or a sign, letting him know that all of his successes are going to be hard won and will be accompanied by pain. This initial injury curses his entire career, in a way.In the second accident, (if memory serves (its been two days now)), Plainview is struck on the head, but not seriously hurt. When he emerges from the mine, there is blood mixed with oil on his face. This mingling of blood and oil is at the root of this entire film...in order to get oil from the ground, there will be blood; Plainview's own, and that of others.
In the third accident, a man is killed instantly by a falling drill. When he is pulled up from the oil/mud sludge, there is a spot of dark blood on him, and he is as limp as a sack of rice. This accident provides little in the way of symbolism, but just shows how insignificant human life is in the face of the quest for oil. The fourth accident happens when H.W. is sitting too close to the oil rig, and is deafened when it strikes oil. Yet again, the achievement of a goal is accompanied by tragedy.
The remaining blood in the film is spilt by Plainview himself. He kills the impostor posing as his brother, and bludgeons Eli Sunday to death. Both murders were done in relatively cold blood. It seems that by this time, years of sacrficing his soul for success have already caused Plainview to go from stretching the bounds of morality, to totally abandoning it. There will be blood, whether by accident or by Plainview's own hand.
4.) Family (Blood Relatives)
The only tenderness we ever see exhibited by Plainview is toward H.W., toward his impostor brother, and toward Mary Sunday (the daughter of the Sunday farm, whom H.W. eventually marries). None of these people are his blood relations. For the purposes of this movie, he has no blood relations. The only people he ever cares about were brought to him by the oil industry; H.W., by the accident, Mary Sunday, by Plainview's purchase of the Sunday ranch, and the "brother," by Plainview's oil success. Thus, both Plainview's joy and his pain are tied to oil.
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