There Will Be Blood
Make no mistake - Daniel Day Lewis is brilliant in Paul Thomas Anderson's epic drama
The Sunday Mirror's movie critic, Mark Adams is a regular at film festivals around the world
The stars: Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciaran Hinds, Russell Harvard, Kevin J. O'Connor.
The story: The film opens in 1898 with miner Daniel Plainview (Day Lewis) searching for silver. Years later, he is drawn to California by the prospect of discovering untapped wells of oil, but finds himself in conflict with the preacher Eli Sunday (Dano).
The verdict: Make no mistake - Daniel Day Lewis is brilliant in Paul Thomas Anderson's epic drama, and for my money will win the Best Actor Oscar later this month.
But, while dazzling, the film itself amounts to a series of stunning moments that don't ever really fit together. And, by the final scenes, it has descended into pantomime drama that feels cliched. Well performed and beautifully shot, yes... but a masterpiece? No, not really.
Final Cut Masterful performance by Daniel Day Lewis dominates this beautifully-staged oil drama. ****
Opens Friday, February 8