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| Available at Amazon.com |
Daniel Plainview is a man that has long been looking for silver. He has been digging since the nineteenth century searching for the one of the few things that would truly make him a man to be envied by so many. Yet one day while searching in a deep mine, he stumbles across traces of oil that soon leads to his finding more. Realizing this is where the true wealth is at, he turns his career around and makes drilling for oil his new venture along with his adopted son H.W. who is also his partner. Together they travel from place to place offering their services to dig for oil and help make cities flourish. But it is his own motives that keep him moving forward, and it may also seem to get the best of Daniel and his “family.”
Daniel has recently found out from an inside source that there is an incredible amount of oil out in California on the Sunday family farm. Posing as quail hunters, he and H.W. prospect the land and end up making an offer to the family in order to purchase the farm and drill for oil. The oldest son Eli, though, wants to make sure his church is adequately funded by Daniel if they are to purchase the land in order to drill for the oil. A little harsh bargaining later and Daniel is now the proud owner of the Sunday farm while Eli believes that his church, The Church Of The Third Revelation, will be adequately taken care of.
Drilling is going just as expected, but with great fortune also come many problems as Daniel begins to realize later on. He presents himself as a serious family man that wants only the best for him and H.W., but one’s life is never the same when wealth comes into the equation. A long-lost brother by the name of Henry comes into Daniel’s life. Continuing problems with Eli and his church continue to hinder progress and Daniel’s personal life. A horrible accident strains his relationship with H.W. and ends up showcasing the problems that money can bring into anyone’s life. But what is one to do when it is presented right at their door?
There Will Be Blood is one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time and it wasn’t anything like what the trailer had me expecting. A part of me was thinking that it would be a rather dry film simply about the oil business and everything that came along with it. It takes place at the turn of the twentieth century and really does show all of that, but it includes so much more. There is humor that comes seemingly out of nowhere and had me literally busting at the seams. Some more tender moments are shown between Daniel and H.W., his brother Henry, and also a young girl named Mary. Numerous serious encounters are showcased in the rivalry between Eli and Daniel that raise tensions in the film to new levels. And never does confusion set in like it does in so many other new films coming out now. There Will Be Blood is straight-forward and entirely up front about everything.
Never once did I think about the film lasting over two and a half hours and that is due in large part to Daniel Day Lewis and his masterful performance. You’re going to witness every single emotion in his character of Daniel Plainview throughout this film that you will feel as if he is your best friend in the world and you’ve known him for years. Paul Thomas Anderson does a fantastic job of making you actually care about the central character and giving a damn about what goes in his life whether it is against him or horrible decisions he himself makes. But it is Lewis that shows the heartache and disgust and greed and business sense that lets you “know” Daniel Plainview once existed in the lives of all oil hunters.
The film is shown in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and it looks excellent. It has a very old look to it complete with a duty and dirty feeling that keeps the setting very appropriate for the time period shown.
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and it is one of the things that makes There Will Be Blood even better. All of the music is so random and not what you would expect to hear from a film of this caliber, but it ends up being entirely fitting. All of the dialogue, explosions, drilling, music, and everything can be heard clearly and loudly.
Fifteen Minutes – This is a fifteen and a half minute feature showcasing still frame photos and video clips detailing everything that went into making the film. It is essentially a silent film version of the “making of.” It is very creative and a fun look at how much research and detail was put into every aspect.
Deleted Scenes – There are only two scenes which were left out and would have added only about ten more minutes to the final length, but wouldn’t have added much at all.
The Story Of Petroleum – Here is a twenty-five and a half minute feature that is actually a silent film from the early twenties going over the entire oil craze. It was put together by the Sinclair Oil Company and the United States Bureau Of Mines and shows how everything was back then which is extremely different to the way things are done in present times. Very good watch.
Dailies Gone Wild – Kind of odd, but this is simply an extended version of the restaurant scene from the film where Daniel and H.W. are sitting before the businessmen walk in. Nothing much.
Teaser
Theatrical Trailer
This is the special two-disc version so if you’re hoping to wait out for the better version with more special features, then I’d stop waiting and just go pick up this one. From what I’ve heard, Anderson is not one that does audio commentaries anymore and I doubt there is really much more from the film that can be added to make this any better. The special features add up to less then an hour of extra footage and such, but they are still good. Buy this DVD for the film alone and you’re getting your money’s worth whether you get the two- or single-disc version – I’ll guarantee it. There Will Be Blood is just phenomenal and would have easily been one of the top three films of 2008 if it hadn’t technically been released the day after Christmas in 2007. Still, it doesn’t matter if you are an action, horror, romance, drama, sci-fi, or anything else fan…this is one anyone and everyone can enjoy. Go get it and get it now because it will be better then anything else you could pick up. I assure you whatever the others promise to do, when it comes to the showdown, they won’t be there.
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Paramount Home Entertainment presents There Will Be Blood: Two-Disc Special Collector’s Edition. Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J O’Connor, Ciaran Hinds, Dillon Freasier. Written by: Upton Sinclair (novel), Paul Thomas Anderson (screenplay). Running time: 158 minutes. Rating: R. Released on DVD: April 8, 2008. Available at Amazon.com
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