What Makes "There Will Be Blood" Great.

Director/Writer Paul Thomas Anderson's Epic drama about the quest for oil in the late 19th and early 20th century has become a modern classic since its release in 2007. It's a fascinating tale of the "American Dream" turned on its head, anchored by another legendary performance from Danial Day-Lewis.

Oil Man Daniel Plainview carves through Southern California in an attempt to strike gold in terms of oil. As his quest for oil goes on, his greed and ruthlessness take a toll on himself and all those around him.

Danial Day-Lewis's turn in There Will Be Blood is one of the 21st century's defining screen performances. Whether Danial is being quiet and subversive or loud and over the top, it's a performance that always keeps you on your toes. As the film goes on, Danial's success and his desire for more wealth begin to take their toll on him. By the end of the film, it's clear he not only lost the little humanity he had but his mind as well. This all makes for a brilliant character study into the mind of Danial Plainview, and who better to bring him to life than Danial Day-Lewis.

A facilitating aspect of the film is the combination of greed, family, and religion in the pursuit of the American Dream. In the opening scenes of the film, when they discover oil they lift their oil-covered hands into the shining light of the sun, and one of the workers baptizes his son in the oil. Later on, Danial takes in the son of one of his dead partners as his own in the hopes of using him to help him buy land. In his pitch to the towns, he hopes to persuade them by emphasizing that he runs a "Family Business" pointing out his adopted son "HW" as a way to ease people into trusting him. This relationship is a key concept throughout the film as it plays a part in showing Danial's descent. When HW goes deaf from an oil explosion, Danial is unable to cope with this change and sends him away to a school for the deaf. In the end, when a fully grown HW confronts Danial about going into business for himself, Danial coldly dismisses him as just another business rival and admits to the fact that he is not his biological father. He tells him he was just a "sweet face" he used to buy land and calls him a "Basterd from a Basket" Before HW leaves in disgust, destroying the one human connection he had. Danial also has with local preacher Eli, played brilliantly by Paul Dano. This can be seen as a reflection of his war against god as these confrontations play at key points throughout Danial's rise to power. This all comes together in the intense finale between Danial and Eli where we see the Devil that Danial has become.

The film is Gorgeous to look at throughout its entire runtime. Cinematographer Robert Elswit shows beautiful landscapes of wide open spaces and gives a film an earthly feel. Johnny Greenwood's score is also brilliant and sounds like something you would hear in a horror movie. That makes sense though as Danial Plainview can be seen as the monster of the film. Both these technical aspects play together in the best scene in the movie during the oil rig explosion. The shots of the burning rig and the musical score make for a breathtaking set piece that gives me goosebumps every time I watch it.

After finding success with films like Boogie Nights and Magnolia, There Will be Blood truly cemented Paul Thomas Anderson as one of the best filmmakers today. It's grandiose in its scope carried by the Oscar Winning work from Daniel Day-Lewis.