Time to get the Big Picture on film, with a Citizen-Kane style flick about a preacher, an oil tycoon, and moral frailty. There Will Be Blood is loosely based on an 80-year-old novel by Upton Sinclair titled Oil!  It’s a 19th century story of the ambition of two men, the hard-bitten oil man Daniel Plainview (played by Daniel Day Lewis) and the preachin’, teachin’ faith healin’ son of a goat herder, Eli Sunday (Paul Dano). That ambition turns into greed and callousness with the truth and with their fellow human beings.

Eli’s family is sitting on pay dirt and Plainview accepts a $10,000 proviso so Eli can build a church – money that never passes hands. Oil comes through in a great gusher, and that’s where Plainview’s problems really start.

Daniel Day Lewis gives a huge performance in the lead role. His will cannot be contained; he is a terrifying figure but also a broken, pathetic soul. It’s both a study in human potency and an object lesson is mortal frailty. Audiences may recall Paul Dano from his role as the silent but endearing older brother in Little Miss Sunshine. Dano, who plays Eli and the scarcely seen twin brother who scabs a finder’s fee off Plainview, is great as an old time preacher who’s more a carnival barker than a minister of the gospel. 

The film’s gothic power and intensity comes from the two male leads and the music score by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, who uses searing discords, bizarre percussion and intense volume to build tension and give power to the conflicts and situations that go down.

For me, There Will Be Blood brought the following to mind:
• The evil twin of capitalism is greed
• Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely
• We can learn from Ben Franklin’s little quote, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. The truth will come out. More to the point, quoting Chairman Moses, be sure your sins will find you out.

There Will Be Blood is nominated for best movie, director, actor, cinematography, editing, sound editing, art direction and best screenplay based on existing work. It’s a powerful, exhilarating film of biblical proportions. Director Paul Thomas Anderson gave us confronting films such Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love, so viewers should know before they show up that they are in for a rocky ride – he loves to challenge the status quo and explore the use of hypocrisy in society and relationships. The truth will come out, and there will indeed be blood in this gothic morality tale. Take the title literally and see this if you have a strong stomach and a love for drama.

There Will Be Blood is M for moderate violence and themes.

Open House film reviewer Barry Gittins is editor of On Fire magazine, and a regular reviewer for the Salvos' Warcry magazine: www.salvationarmy.org.au/warcry