BEFORE: Another pedigreed film, so back-to-back Oscar-winning performances by Daniel Day Lewis.
THE PLOT: A story about family, greed, religion, and oil, centered around a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.
AFTER: I've usually got a bent against any movie over 2 1/2 hours, unless it's on a part with "Titanic" or "Lord of the Rings", and I'm not sure this one is. This is kind of slow-paced (representing the early 1900's, a slower time?) but I have to think one could cut at least 20 minutes out somewhere. Thematically, it's hard to believe the same director made "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia".
There were parts that were oblique and sort of hard to follow - of course, I don't know much about the oil business, so maybe some things could have been explained better, without the use of milkshake-based metaphor. (But if your milkshake was underground, see, nobody would really want to drink it. So that doesn't really work.)
At least Daniel Day Lewis got to speak some real dialogue in this film - but there was something about his accent, but I couldn't quite place it - was he doing Sean Connery? The IMDB says it was reminiscent of John Huston in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", and I did think about that film when Plainview was filing his claims.
But why have one actor play two different characters? Sure, they were brothers, but it was still confusing. I wondered why Plainview was meeting that person for a second time.
I guess there's some overall metaphor about religion vs. business, the spiritual vs. the material, family connections, and general dishonesty, but it didn't completely coalesce for me.
Also starring Paul Dano (last seen in "Taking Woodstock"), Dillon Freasier, Ciaran Hinds (last seen in "Road to Perdition"), Kevin J. O'Connor (last seen in "Van Helsing"), cameo from Paul F. Tompkins.
RATING: 6 out of 10 bowling pins
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