Others say...

"A strong film from Anderson."
Director Paul Thomas Anderson does another period piece, skipping further back in time then he did with his famous 1997 work "Boogie Nights". This time, the destination is the United States in the early years of the 20th century, with a brief epilogue set some time after the Wall Street crash of 1929. The subject is the California oil industry, based (very, very loosely) on Upton Sinclair's famous book "Oil!". The character is Daniel Plainview, played by Daniel Day-Lewis in his second Oscar-winning role.

The story follows Plainview as he pursues his dream of earning enough money to separate himself forever from other people, who he despises as a general rule. He has a son, H.W., who he actually does care for, though at the same time he loves money; one is reminded of one analysis of Shylock that said that the most charitable thing to be said about his attitudes was that if he didn't put his daughter before his ducats, at least the reverse wasn't true. Plainview is given a hot tip by Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) about huge amounts of oil in his home town, and hurries to buy up all the neighbouring areas. The major other character is Eli Sunday (also Dano), a would-be evangelical preacher and miracle-worker. If Plainview is brutal capitalism, Sunday is fundamentalist religion (recalling the huckster faith-healers of later decades). As business grows, the conflict between the two grows based on minor acts of spite and conflicting worldviews.

The character of Plainview is the movie, basically. As played by Day-Lewis, in a volcanic performance, he is a mass of contradictions and impulses: he genuinely cares for his son, but at the same time he is driven by greed for money. When his son becomes deafened in an accident, Plainview first cannot stay beside him because of the accident, and later, struggling to deal with it, sends him away to the city. In what I think Plainview regards as Sunday's most offensive act, he forces him to face up to this action and show genuine weakness and desperation to escape the possible wrath of God. Plainview later reenacts this scene at the climax, with the roles reversed, to remarkable effect. Occasionally, he explodes into violence, particularly when family is brought up; as he relates to one character who later falls victim to this violence, he doesn't like people, and at times he seems like he does want to reach out. Ultimately, though, he is a cynical, vengeful, black-hearted old man that Ebenezer Scrooge would be appalled by.

Anderson and his crew meticulously reconstruct the time period, conveying the many dangers faced by the pioneer workers in the early oil industry. More than one many dies a grisly death as a result, and blows sting the audience as sharply as the bolts from Anton Chigurh's airgun.

On another note, this is often called an adaptation of Sinclair's "Oil!", but it is not, really. Anderson takes one or two ideas from the novel, perhaps, but among other things, the names are all changed (Plainview and Sunday have been given Meaningful Names in lieu of the more ordinary Ross and Watkins), an the plot is different, focussing on the father character. Most significantly, the moral of the story is completely reversed: the tycoon in Sinclair's novel is a genuinely likeable figure who is corrupt and brutal because the system is corrupt and brutal. Anderson remakes this to the story of a sociopath who is rotten because of his own nature, with the system itself apart from him seen much more benignly. There are mentions made of monopolies held by men like John D. Rockefeller, but all the other characters seem reasonable and cower in fear of Plainview. Not that it isn't a good movie, but it seems a strange adaptation that completely changes the meaning of one of the great social commentators of the 20th century.

All in all, I quite quite liked this movie; as a film, I felt it was much more wholistic than the Coens' "No Country For Old Men" (though my personal vote for the Oscar would have been "Atonement").

"The history of greed in the oil business"
This film was a little slow but I found myself engaged and entertained throughout. The main character is a trip, always talking about how much he hates people and how only sees their bad qualities. The guy basically does anything and everything possible to control as much oil as possible. It seemed to me an analogy of our country not just in our pursuit of oil, but the extent to which we exploit others for our own purposes.

"Fine drama, confused in places"
This is an intense study of a single minded oil man and his struggles and tests in reaching the top. It also shows the various delusions, brutalities and neglects he is a party to in his rise in his field.

Without some first rate acting, this film would not hold together. It has too many uneven elements and parts of the story do not fit as naturally as might be liked. That it remains a stunning piece of cinema is a tribute to everyone involved, but I strongly recommend people to watch and decide for themselves. At the very least, you will see some stunning acting and fine, affecting drama.


"Boring."
There's a reason why nobody saw this movie until after the Oscars. Now, of course, all kinds of people are trying to tell you how great it is, but the fact is that it's boring, and the... let's call it "acting" done by Daniel Day Lewis is of about the same caliber as Jim Carey in "The Mask". If you like long, dull, depressing movies, filled with scenery-chewing and spastic over-acting, then this is for you. But really, why not save yourself some time, and just TELL everyone you "loved" it? Because really, that's what this movie is about- pretending you liked it so that everyone will know what a pretentious cineophile you are.

"horrible and dark indictment of frontier capitalism"
This is the story of one of the most eccentrically evil and heartless men that has ever been put on film. DDL exudes the alienation and hatred of a psychotic achiever, who will stop at no humiliation or violence to achieve his goal of building a house as he remembers it from his childhood.

The portrait of a raw Texas, shorn of romantic myth, is unbelievably vivid and graphic. From the silent work that DDL carries out in a dank mine, you get a feeling for the lack of all social structure and decency in the greedy poor. As he works his way up, he leaves a trail of damaged people in all his achievements. However, this work of art is no caricature. The characters are realistic and believable, if uglier than we care to imagine much of our past to have been.

DDL creates a truly unique character. He hates and uses everyone, even the son he adopts, letting no one close, especially women. His one unguarded moment leads inexorably to murder. His alcoholism and seething rage are all that he has, beyond his oil wealth. It is truly frightening.

Recommended. THis is a true artistic success, but I would recommend renting it rather than buying it: you will only want to watch it once.