There Will Be Blood (2007)
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A ruthless oilman's quest for wealth during the Californian oil boom leads to a collision of greed and faith.
The story
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, silver miner-turned-oilman Daniel Plainview embarks on a ruthless quest for wealth during the Californian oil boom. After discovering oil in California in 1902, he adopts a boy named H.W. to present himself as a family man to potential investors. His path eventually crosses with the Sunday family, where he attempts to acquire their land. The narrative follows his escalating ambition and the growing tension between his pursuit of wealth and the religious convictions of those who stand in his way.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1898, Daniel Plainview finds silver in New Mexico and secures a claim. By 1902, he discovers oil in California and adopts a boy, H.W., to appear as a family man to investors. In 1911, he attempts to buy land from the Sunday family, leading to a conflict with the preacher Eli. After a series of mishaps, Plainview's relationship with Eli becomes increasingly hostile. He eventually murders an imposter claiming to be his brother and later faces a legal threat from a neighbor, leading to a public humiliation in Eli's church. By 1927, Plainview is a wealthy alcoholic living in a mansion. When H.W. seeks to leave, Plainview disowns him. In the final act, Plainview confronts a now-radio-preaching Eli in a basement, where he eventually bludgeons the preacher to death after a series of taunts regarding their respective failures and successes.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 158
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Paul Thomas Anderson
- Writers
- Paul Thomas Anderson · writer
- Cast and characters
- Daniel Day-Lewis · Daniel Plainview; Paul Dano · Eli; Kevin J. O'Connor · Paul Sunday; Ciarán Hinds · not specified; Dillon Freasier · H.W.
- Genres
- drama; period drama; Western
- Themes
- capitalism; greed; faith; religion; family
- Tone and mood
- epic; ruthless; somber
- Premise and plot tags
- period drama; Western; oil boom; capitalism
- Source material / true-story basis
- Oil! by Upton Sinclair
- Reception
- The film received acclaim from critics, with praise for the cinematography, direction, screenplay, music, and performances. It was widely touted as a masterpiece and included on numerous 'best of' lists for the decade and century.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 91% · scale: percentage · review count: 245; Metacritic · score: 93 · scale: 100 · review count: 42
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actor · Academy Awards · win; Best Cinematography · Academy Awards · win; Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media · Grammy Awards · nomination; Outstanding Artistic Contribution (music) · Berlin International Film Festival · 2008 · win
- Production trivia
- The film's title was changed from 'Oil!' to 'There Will Be Blood' because the director felt the original title didn't reflect the amount of the book included in the film.; The character of the 'son' was cast by selecting a candidate from Texas who knew how to shoot shotguns.; The final scene's line about a 'milkshake' was inspired by a 1920s oil-related scandal.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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