There will be blood

[Xavier_Onassis]

This starts out as a history of the oil drilling industry, beginning with a prospector mining for silver in the Sierra Nevada, and then proceeds oil drilling in California the early 1900's. The main character, Daniel Plainview, travels with his orphaned boy, and dupes the inhabitants of a desert town called Little Boston. It gradually changes from a history of the industry into a character study of Plainview, as he becomes more and more wealthy and more and more of a ruthless, egocentric asshole.

I doubt anyone will like the ending. It is based on a Sinclair Lewis novel, "Oil".

The acting is excellent, but I found the plot disappointing.

[fatman]

I saw it in the theater and hated it.  I can't really pin it down, but I really did not like this movie.

[Brassmask]

I saw it at the theatre on opening night and I really, really liked it but I wanted to really, really LOVE it.

It was vintage PT Anderson in the way it ended.  There were too many "funny" parts that made the ending "funny" when it should have been tragic.  However, the audience I saw it with was laughing their asses off during it and I felt uncomfortable with that.

Of course, Day Lewis was amazing and I didn't recognize him hardly.  The preacher kid was a disappointment.

[fatman]

The preacher kid was a disappointment.

And I think that's what killed the movie for me.  They should have found someone who could pull off the part a bit better, I can think of several who would fit that.  The whole time I kept thinking of him as the freaky kid from "Little Miss Sunshine".

[Brassmask]

Ironically, I was so disappointed because he was a fake.  I would have enjoyed it much more had been a devout believer.

There was a caveat of relief for me in that the deaf son left behind his father who represented oil/unbridled capitalism and the preacher kid who represented religion as a con.

That was good but I constructed that in my mind I think.