A searing "There Will Be Blood"

According to teenage slang, the term "vicious" means “awesome.” If this is the case, then Irish actor Daniel Day-Lewis delivers one of the greatest and most vicious (both masterful and, in a traditional sense, fierce) performances of the past decade in director Paul Thomas Anderson's virtuoso "There Will Be Blood."

Based loosely on Upton Sinclair's Oil!, "Blood" is the life story of Daniel Plainview (the flawless Day-Lewis), a prospector in turn-of-the-century California. When Plainview strikes oil while mining, he soon becomes one of the most respected tycoons in the state. But his character is soon challenged by a young boy, Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) who draws Plainview's attention to the small town of Little Boston, where he claims oil flows endlessly beneath the parched land. Plainview eventually sets up his largest oil derricks in the area, and makes elaborate plans to establish a highly profitable community. Yet Plainview's industry is soon threatened by forces seemingly out of his reach. Sunday, a puritan zealot and rising reverend who knows of Plainview's thirst for oil, uses his religious fire to lock horns with Plainview. Ultimately, this struggle and the black gold consume Plainview, to the point where not only oil but crimson bubbles out of his wells.

Plainview comes across as a selfish businessman and a nihilist, but Anderson adds a human touch to even this character, forging an emotional story of internal turmoil. Throughout the film, he battles his conscience in what becomes a four-way struggle: between himself, his oil, God and his family.
Day-Lewis captures Plainview's character with an intensity that few actors could rival. His performance in "Blood" is a perfect testament to his style of method acting, an approach where he delves deep into whatever role he is playing and effectively becomes that person for weeks during production -- a dedication most actors lack. Day-Lewis makes limited screen appearances, but leaves his mark in each one. His lead in "Blood" parallels his passion in "Gangs of New York," and should land him a second Oscar (to accompany his 1989 Academy Award for "My Left Foot"). Plainview's grotesque, twisted personality flickers in Day-Lewis's eyes as he goes for the kill with nightmarish enthusiasm. His vivid facial expressions and his masterful voice, along with several nuances, propel the film and will surely gain him well deserved critical acclaim.

Stepping up to a lead role after his part in the eccentric "Little Miss Sunshine," Paul Dano hints at a promising career ahead. There is much more to Eli Sunday than the passionate priest, and Dano is able to convey this dual nature with eloquence. Anderson's additional casting will probably, but prematurely, be overlooked, overshadowed by the Day-Lewis/Dano tandem.
The desolate, arid canyon seems to be the milieu of choice for the marquee films this season. Anderson's "Blood" follows a similar approach to James Mangold's "3:10 to Yuma" and the Coen Brothers' "No Country for Old Men" in portraying an unforgiving land through stunning cinematography, capturing the essence of a great American western.

Anderson's genius extends to the many subtleties that will place "Blood" as the frontrunner in the Golden Globe and Oscar races. The film opens by focusing on Day-Lewis as he labors frantically in a mine deep underground. He is accompanied by extensive silence, the first dialogue coming only once the initial scene has already been set. The chilling score -- an eerie, violent string crescendo composed by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood -- is the perfect complement to Plainview’s vengeance and greed. Though it is used sparingly, it usually foreshadows a grave moment. In one of the pinnacle scenes, when a well explodes and leaves Plainview's son injured, the muted sound creates a feeling of pressure as the gasoline gushes out with unstoppable force. A wood-block solo that grows to a chaotic tune also captures the tense, yet defining moment when Plainview realizes that "There's a wealth of ocean beneath our feet, and I'm the only one who can get at it!"
Because Anderson chooses to focus on the acting, the plot suffers from modest ambiguity. Some parts are drawn out and could have been clarified or simply cut. Yet nothing is expected in this movie. The one certainty is as the title suggests: That "Blood" is not for the weak. But the violence (while ridiculously vivid) is not all physical, and it is the psychological pain that marks the film as a masterpiece. "Blood" is a marathon (pushing three hours), but nonetheless an epic journey.

Imagine if Plainview learned that the price for oil hit $100 a barrel, as it did earlier this week. Oil can drive men to the brink. It also drives "There Will Be Blood" to its place as a classic in American film history.

"There Will Be Blood" (158 minutes) is rated R for violence. It is now playing at Landmark Bethesda Row, E Street Cinema and AMC Loews in Georgetown.