Day-Lewis is superb, and fully deserving of his Best Actor Oscar.  His gravelly-clipped speech and snake-eyed character have understandably been compared to John Huston in Chinatown, although Day-Lewis injects Plainview with a riveting uniqueness which stems not only from his vocal inflections but also his oh-so-subtle mannerisms.  In one scene, he glances at his brother and ponders a comment.  Then, ever so slightly, he shakes his head and opts to stay quiet.  It’s a subtle gesture, but one that reveals much—especially in the light of the scene which follows.  During the film’s climatic ending, Plainview shouts that God is a superstition, and that he is “the third revelation.” It’s almost as if we are hearing Satan himself.

Dano, as the wily Sunday, is equally good.  I would have liked to have seen the actor age more, but he nevertheless keeps us wondering to the bitter end (and even thereafter) whether he believes what he so fervently preaches.  Russell Howard, as the adult H.W., is also outstanding as the deaf man who finally gets the courage to stand up to his father, with devastating consequences.

Shot in rural Texas (as a stand-in for San Luis Obispo County, California), There Will Be Blood boasts truly outstanding cinematography by Robert Elswit (who also won an Oscar).  The first fifteen minutes, during which no dialogue is spoken, are a washed-out landscape—an auteur allusion to the lead character’s barren conscience.  Later, when the oil is flowing and life is good, the visage warms up.  It reaches a colorful pinnacle on the day that Plainview takes a swim with someone who claims to be his long-lost brother (Kevin J. O’Connor).  Their reunion, and their dip in the blue-green waters of the Pacific, has the feel of a long-awaited baptism.  Plainview washes away the oil and dirt that has sullied his soul and his relationships, and as he emerges, we feel the distant stirrings of hope that somehow, he will be redeemed.  This stands in stark contrast to one of the final scenes between a father and son, which uses bright lights and darkness much like Francis Ford Coppola did in Apocalypse Now.

Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love, Magnolia) has done an outstanding job, although those more attuned to fast-paced thrillers and action movies are bound to find it overrated and perhaps even cumbersome.  It’s a film for film lovers—not those seeking fast-food entertainment.  Like the classic novel it is derived from, There Will Be Blood is replete with symbols and metaphors that are destined to become film student fodder for many years to come.