There Will Be Blood (2007)

91% of critics liked it
(212 reviews)
84% of users liked it
(211,583 ratings)

Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson steps outside his contemporary world of dysfunctional Angelenos to explore a very different dysfunctional man -- an oil pioneer whose trailblazing spirit is equaled only by his murderous ambition. There Will Be Blood is Anderson's loose adaptation of the novel… More Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson steps outside his contemporary world of dysfunctional Angelenos to explore a very different dysfunctional man -- an oil pioneer whose trailblazing spirit is equaled only by his murderous ambition. There Will Be Blood is Anderson's loose adaptation of the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair, and it focuses its attentions on Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), a miner who happens upon black gold during a disastrous excavation that ends in a broken leg. Pulling himself up from the bowels of the earth, both literally and metaphorically, Plainview embarks on a systematic and steadfast approach to mastering the oil business. Using plain-spoken and straightforward language, Plainview launches a campaign to convince small-town property owners they should let him drill their land. Without him, they won't have the equipment to access the profit beneath their feet. He builds an empire this way -- and gradually becomes obsessed with the intrinsic value of power, growing increasingly irascible and paranoid in the process. Plainview meets his match in Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), a teenage preacher in the small California town of Little Boston, whose brother tipped Plainview off to the town's plentiful supply of untapped oil. To fully reap the benefits of the land, Plainview must suffer the opposing whims of this "prophet," whose legitimacy is questionable at best. And it's unclear if either man is prepared to pay the humiliating price the other wants to exact. There Will Be Blood features an anachronistic soundtrack by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, and it was shot in the same town where the James Dean epic Giant was filmed. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson
Written By: Paul Thomas Anderson
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Dec 26, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Apr 8, 2008
Studio: Paramount Vantage

Critic Reviews

Bob Mondello, NPR.org
This sometimes magnificent, decidedly strange film is a portrait of a terrible, rapacious man.
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
One of the most wholly original American movies ever made.
Christopher Orr, New Republic
There Will Be Blood establishes itself as a film of Darwinian ferocity, a stark and pitiless parable of American capitalism.
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com
Daniel Day-Lewis bestrides the narrow world like a colossus as Daniel Plainview, a turn-of-the-last-century prospector for gold and silver who stumbles upon oil in rural California and goes after it with the ferocity, focus, and ethical sensitivity of a f
Christy Lemire, Associated Press
Someday, we're probably going to look back at There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson's epic about greed, lies, manipulation and insanity, and call it his masterpiece.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
It's oil, and a West that was just discovering it, that makes There Will Be Blood intriguing. But it's Day-Lewis who draws us in.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
Who suggested the John Huston accent? We keep expecting Daniel Plainview to molest a young niece or something.
Ian Buckwalter, DCist
Anderson's vision is uncompromising and razor sharp. Nothing in his first four features quite prepares us for the precision and vicious wit displayed here.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
There will be blood, indeed
Jordan Hoffman, UGO
In a way, there's not a step you haven't seen in classics going as far back as Citizen Kane. Still, there are enough oddities in the details to keep you full of questions.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
This is a film by Paul Thomas Anderson that has overshot the runway of movie modernity with something thrillingly, dangerously new.
Jason Zingale, Bullz-Eye.com
It takes a talented person to make a great film, but it takes an even more talented one to know when to say enough is enough.
James Christopher, Times [UK]
It's a biblical parable about America's failure to square religion and greed. But most of all it is a marvellously entertaining soap: a sort Dickens does Dallas, without the sex or swimming pools.
Jeff Bayer, The Scorecard Review
If Day-Lewis isn't front and center, the film drags with themes such as oil vs. religion, and greed is always around...
Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine
Anderson has truly made an old fashioned, great American movie. Not to be missed!!!
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
One helluva film; the best in Anderson's young career.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Epic American oil saga is brilliant but mature.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
a requiem for human decency, trampled beneath the onslaught of capitalism, progress, and a heightened sense of purpose that becomes a twisted justification for personal excess

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

Poor storytelling and virtually no character development. Arbitrary, episodic and confusing. Yes - DDL is God and the cinematography and sense of place and time are uncanny but after a terrific opening hour this film just coughs and sputters.
Albert K

2 words (or 3?). Daniel-Day Lewis. What a performance. You are not going to see acting like this in a long time. If compared to any other actor in Hollywood at this time, no one would match up to his performance. Daniel-Day Lewis is THAT good in this movie. Many will stray from this… More
2 words (or 3?). Daniel-Day Lewis. What a performance. You are not going to see acting like this in a long time. If compared to any other actor in Hollywood at this time, no one would match up to his performance. Daniel-Day Lewis is THAT good in this movie. Many will stray from this seemingly, anti-climactic movie but this movie is impeccably made. The direction: phenomenal. Cinematography: Absolutely gorgeous. This is a film! An absolute must watch. This is a masterpiece.
Reid V

Just re-watched this film. Anderson and Daniel Day Lewis make an unstoppable combination. Self-indulgent, mesmerizing, and sorrowfully beautiful.
danny d

many critics and fans alike have loudly declared this to be the best film of 2007. it was truly a remarkeable film in all of the objective areas. day-lewis' performance deserves an oscar, far outdoing anyone else this year as he fell in and out between likeability and ruthless… More
many critics and fans alike have loudly declared this to be the best film of 2007. it was truly a remarkeable film in all of the objective areas. day-lewis' performance deserves an oscar, far outdoing anyone else this year as he fell in and out between likeability and ruthless rage. he went from hero to villian more effectively than can be fathomed. the art direction, locations, direction, and musical score couldnt have been any better, and the cinematography was probably only exceeded this year by the assassination of jesse james. however, for a film to be a true masterpiece it must satisfy on the subjective end as well as the objective, and the subjective is where this film fell short. the story was truly profound especially when seen as a father and son story, and the themes of greed and the empty chase for vanity in this life where clear and powerful, but the story still never captured the allure of the great films of all time. the end was empty and the depression drawn on in many scenes was understood but hollow. a great film for sure, but this year has definitely produced a short stack of better films.
Dan S

A detached, frustrating period piece concerning a greedy oil man (the always brilliant Daniel Day-Lewis) who struggles for power with an over-zealous young pastor (Paul Dano) at the birth of the 20th century. While one must commend director P.T. Anderson for capturing the technology… More
A detached, frustrating period piece concerning a greedy oil man (the always brilliant Daniel Day-Lewis) who struggles for power with an over-zealous young pastor (Paul Dano) at the birth of the 20th century. While one must commend director P.T. Anderson for capturing the technology and cinematic scope of the era, the film is largely frustrating due to its unwillingness to concentrate its power on the more interesting of the themes, that being greed. Instead, it goes for a half-half split of greed vs. organized religion, with the latter being given a straight middle-finger and no polar opposite character to challenge Dano's ridiculous narcissism and hunger. The last twenty minutes of the film also feel jammed together, and the result is an uneven, if ambitious, picture. Day-Lewis gives one of the best turns (and lines, "I drink your milkshake!") of the decade, sadly it is wasted on a film that falls apart and loses its focus in the latter half.
Joe M

I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!!!
Graham J

Simply amazing. Daniel Day Lewis is riveting and the cinematography is breathtaking. Plus a beautiful score from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood.
Eric A

Daniel Day-Lewis in one of the best acting roles i've ever seen, from anybody.
Melvin W

Plainview: Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your… More
Plainview: Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink... your... milkshake! "There Will Be Greed. There Will Be Vengeance." Let There Be Blood is one of those few movies that can be classified as perfect. It's such an amazing movie, that just explaining how good it is doesn't do it justice. It's a movie that must be seen. All the hype and great things I had heard about this movie didn't take anything away from it. I went in with astronomical expectations and somehow they were exceeded. If you're an avid fan of film; there is nothing to complain about here. What some(dumb-asses) call slow and boring; I call patient and refreshing. From the opening 10 minutes I knew this movie was going to be amazing. So few movies and come out and say nothing for 10 minutes and still totally suck you into the start of the story. It takes a special director to do this effectively, like with Kubrick and Leone. Paul Thomas Anderson is a special director and this is a masterpiece on the grandest scale. The music, cinematography, direction and acting in this film make for an epic experience. Enough can't be said about Daniel Day-Lewis's spectacular performance. It's my favorite performance that I've seen from him. He pulls the character of Daniel Plainview off with powerful preciseness. Prior to this movie everyone already knew he could play an amazing villain. We saw him give a stunning performance as Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York. He tops his performance in Gangs of New York, which after watching it, I didn't think possible. I love what Peter Travers said about this movie, "Fans of formula and sugarcoating will hate this. Screw them." I couldn't agree more. Plainview: Did you think your song and dance and your superstition would help you, Eli? I am the Third Revelation! I am who the Lord has chosen!
Sergio G

This is another exaple of why Daniel Day-Lewis get so good characters. His acting once again is impressive. How this pioneer of the oil industry becomes one of the richest men in America. It's a very complex character that you never entirely understand. His greed and ego are so… More
This is another exaple of why Daniel Day-Lewis get so good characters. His acting once again is impressive. How this pioneer of the oil industry becomes one of the richest men in America. It's a very complex character that you never entirely understand. His greed and ego are so high vs his beliefs and conflict against religion it could be too much for some viewers. His idea of family...well you'll have to see it to believe it. Fantastic story.
Kase V

'Widely touted as a masterpiece'? Believe it everyone, because it is deservedly so. Paul Thomas Anderson's 'There Will Be Blood' is such a fiery success of a film that your senses may tingle. Day-Lewis gives one hell of a performance and deserves his Oscar.… More
'Widely touted as a masterpiece'? Believe it everyone, because it is deservedly so. Paul Thomas Anderson's 'There Will Be Blood' is such a fiery success of a film that your senses may tingle. Day-Lewis gives one hell of a performance and deserves his Oscar. Dano also gives off pure power as Eli Sunday. This film is close to a perfect marriage between direction, writing, editing, cinematography, music, and acting. It seems to be a living and breathing monster...a well-oiled machine (no pun intended). 'There Will Be Blood' may shock you, rock you, or disturb you. But in the end, when that last line of dialogue is stated ('I'm finished.') and the title appears onscreen against the pitch black... THERE WILL BE BLOOD The only thing left to do... is clap.
Steven C

I truly believe the term 'masterpiece' is thrown around at reckless abandon by critics and viewers alike, however, the term can be aptly used to describe Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood." The film is blazingly cinematic and one of the best films to… More
I truly believe the term 'masterpiece' is thrown around at reckless abandon by critics and viewers alike, however, the term can be aptly used to describe Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood." The film is blazingly cinematic and one of the best films to exist about America. The battle between free-enterprise (portrayed in Daniel Day-Lewis' monstrous but captivating Daniel Plainview) and organized religion (embodied by Paul Dano's schizophrenic and cowardly Eli Sunday) is fitting, effective, fascinating and cathartic. Rarely do we see a film that has a perfect marriage of cinematography, music, acting, directing and editing. Few films are as polished and pointed as "There Will Be Blood." If you are any true fan of cinema, this is the type of film you should be living for.
Taylor R

In my opinion, the greatest film of all time. Writing, acting, direction, cinematography, music - every element of this film is exemplary, and they still all come together to equal something greater than those individual parts. In theaters, I was stunned by its raw emotional power.… More
In my opinion, the greatest film of all time. Writing, acting, direction, cinematography, music - every element of this film is exemplary, and they still all come together to equal something greater than those individual parts. In theaters, I was stunned by its raw emotional power. One of the best reasons for why I love movies.
Jens S

What a difficult film. Its pace is slow, there is not much of a plot, more or a series of more or less interesting events. Its characters are intriguing but not exactly likable. Its music (by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood) is hypnotizing to the degree of being enervating. And yet… More
What a difficult film. Its pace is slow, there is not much of a plot, more or a series of more or less interesting events. Its characters are intriguing but not exactly likable. Its music (by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood) is hypnotizing to the degree of being enervating. And yet you can't stop watching. The acting is outstanding. Daniel Day-Lewis makes another strong case for being one of the greatest actors of his generation. The cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful, delivering several unforgettable scenes. So where does that take us in the end? We're following this "oil man" for half of his life, see him make questionable decisions and adversaries, estranging his adoptive son and yet we don't wish him any harm. Sadly, the solution kind of seems over the top and too wacky even for an obvious madmen like Plainview. The conflict between him and the priest Eli does not leave you untouched, but once there is blood you feel it went too far. Still, a real piece of art and well worth seeing.
Brad W

Daniel Day Lewis is amazing, the plot is great, but in my opinion I think it could've been perfect somehow, I just felt they left something out at the end, but either way this movie was so good I am putting it on my favorite movie lists.
Kristijonas F

This movie isn't simply hyped up to be a masterpiece, it certainly is one. Paul Thomas Anderson pulls all the punches here, ladies and gentlemen, and delivers the most riveting, complex and difficult film of his career. Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano are nothing short of… More
This movie isn't simply hyped up to be a masterpiece, it certainly is one. Paul Thomas Anderson pulls all the punches here, ladies and gentlemen, and delivers the most riveting, complex and difficult film of his career. Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano are nothing short of spectacular, and the screenplay - the story of one hell of a corrupt and evil man - will leave you breathless.
Shawn E

Incredible acting from Daniel Day-Lewis and a collection of memorable scenes make this film come alive. The film does have some "slow" parts but as soon as Day-Lewis steps on screen and the energetic music smashes in, scenes burst with energy and intensity.
Jeff "

There Will Be Blood is an incredible masterwork of greed and corruption. The film surrounds Oilman and family man Daniel Plainview. The film tells of Plainview's modest beginnings as he strikes oil in his mine and how he finds the mother load in a desolate ranch. He quickly makes… More
There Will Be Blood is an incredible masterwork of greed and corruption. The film surrounds Oilman and family man Daniel Plainview. The film tells of Plainview's modest beginnings as he strikes oil in his mine and how he finds the mother load in a desolate ranch. He quickly makes a fortune, and soon Plainview becomes greedy and corrupt. Daniel Plainview is brilliantly portrayed by method actor Daniel Day Lewis. Lewis delivers a performance that will make your hairs stand up on the back of your neck. There Will Be Blood is a phenomenal piece of cinema that will appeal to true cinema enthusiasts. People who want action and an awesome climax should skip this film, as this is a film that is slow paced and that it takes time to tell the story. The best way to describe the film would be to compare it to a Sergio Leone film. Leone's films were always slow paced so that he would let the images speak for itself and tell the story, which is the same case as Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. This is a grand film that will be seen as a classic in the following years. expertly crafted with a show stopping performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood is best described as a work of art. After Plainview makes his fortune, it's clear that the amount hate, ambition and greed has clouded Daniel Plainview's judgement. There Will Be Blood shows us how a man that strives on his ruthlessness of greed and corruption can also destroy him. Like I've said, Daniel Day-Lewis plays the role with perfection, and this is a definite must see film. Daniel Day-Lewis certainly deserved the recognition and praise that he got. Simply put, this film is epic.
Jay H

Daniel Day-Lewis puts on about as good a performance as there has ever been in this absolutely exceptional film. This isn't a film that can be totally appreciated after one viewing. Daniel Plainview may seem to be a superficially obvious character--he's a soulless… More
Daniel Day-Lewis puts on about as good a performance as there has ever been in this absolutely exceptional film. This isn't a film that can be totally appreciated after one viewing. Daniel Plainview may seem to be a superficially obvious character--he's a soulless capitalist. But on that second or third viewing of the film, the viewer will find more to the character, more to Day-Lewis' performance. The film's darkness, strangeness, and mood are all exceptional pieces to the puzzle, but it's Daniel Day-Lewis who makes this film truly special.
paul o

I DRANK YOUR MILKSHAKE! Loved Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano! Plus Im a huge Paul Anderson fan(excluding Punch Drunk love). Compared to his previous movies, Anderson makes a darker film but still keeps his signature techniques(tracking shots, witty dialogue,etc).