Top Ten # 3 - There Will Be Blood

I went and saw this movie by myself, expecting nothing more than a run-of-the-mill western. I left the theater completely speechless. This is hands down one of the greatest films ever made.

When I reviewed The King of Comedy, I talked about earth-shatteringly good performances. This film contains the second of only a bare handful of acting performances I'd ever dare to call earth-shatteringly good. While the entire film is absolutely brilliant, the acting here stands at the pinnacle of acting in modern times.

Loosely adapted from Upton Sinclairs book "Oil!", this film is a stark look into the dark, twisted, gritty and disturbing side of the American Dream. This is a journey back into the brutal Christianity of the old American west, with psychotic preachers bellowing hell and damnation every step of the way and crazed oil men who will do anything for profit. This is a movie about what happens when, to quote one of the many theatrical posters for the film, "When Ambition Meets Faith."

Daniel Day-Lewis is in top form here, as always. His insane method acting pays off here as he delivers one of the most fiery, bloodthirsty and maniacal performances in recent memory (and dare I say, of all time). Honestly, this tops Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction for sheer savagery. There are scenes of acting here that are almost terrifying to watch as Day-Lewis completely becomes Daniel Plainview (and they actually scared the production crew when Day-Lewis was being filmed) . I truly can't say enough how absolutely amazing the acting is here. All the characters here are played perfectly though, especially Plainviews adversary for the majority of the film, the quietly deranged Reverend Eli Sunday, played by Paul Dano. If Day-Lewis is the high point of insane, fiery acting, the Dano is the opposite, playing one of the most unsettling roles I've ever seen in a film. Theres an underlying presence of insanity that every once in a while makes an appearance, and its some of the eeriest and plain old weirdest acting I've come across.

Brilliant acting is just one strength here as every aspect of the movie is completely perfect. The music is unsettling, tension-building and eerie and probably the most eclectic music choice I've heard in a movie. The cinematography harmonizes with the music in tension building and really adds to the weird and off-kilter feeling the encompasses this film. 10/10 for every facet of the actual film-making.

The highlight of this movie though, is the ending. A nearly half-hour long sequence builds to the point of pure insanity captured on film; this ranks as my absolute, all time favorite ending of any movie I've ever seen. Without giving away any details, I can firmly say that the climax of this film is the height of film as a whole; this ending left me speechless. This is the most perfect sequence I've ever seen in a movie.

To conclude this particularly long-winded movie review, please, do yourself a favor and see this movie. This is one of the best movies I've ever seen, and I'd really say it's one of the best movies of all time. Powerful, incredible acting, brilliant cinematography and a terrific script make There Will Be Blood my Number 3 Top Ten Movie of all time.