There Will Be Blood (2007)

A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.

Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Writers:

Paul Thomas Anderson (written for the screen by), Upton Sinclair (novel)

Stars:

Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciarán Hinds

Top Rated Movies #144 | Won 2 Oscars. Another 115 wins & 136 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Daniel Plainview
Martin Stringer	...	Silver Assay Worker
Matthew Braden Stringer	...	Silver Assay Worker
Jacob Stringer	...	Silver Assay Worker
Joseph Mussey	...	Silver Assay Worker
Barry Del Sherman	...	H.B. Ailman
Harrison Taylor	...	Baby HW
Stockton Taylor	...	Baby HW
Paul F. Tompkins	...	Prescott
Dillon Freasier	...	HW
Kevin Breznahan	...	Signal Hill Man
Jim Meskimen	...	Signal Hill Married Man
Erica Sullivan	...	Signal Hill Woman
Randall Carver	...	Mr. Bankside
Coco Leigh	...	Mrs. Bankside

Storyline

The intersecting life stories of Daniel Plainview and Eli Sunday in early twentieth century California is presented. Miner turn oilman Daniel Plainview is a driven man who will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He works hard but he also takes advantage of those around him at their expense if need be. His business partner is his son H.W., who in reality he "acquired" when H.W.'s biological single father, who worked on one of Daniel's rigs, got killed in a workplace accident. Daniel is deeply protective of H.W. if only for what H.W. brings to the partnership. Eli Sunday is one in a pair of twins, whose family farm Daniel purchases for the major oil deposit located on it. Eli, the local preacher and a self-proclaimed faith healer, wants the money from the sale of the property to finance his own church. The lives of the two competitive men often clash as Daniel pumps oil off the property and tries to acquire all the surrounding land at bargain prices to be able to build a ...

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Plot Keywords:

oil | misanthrope | loss of hearing | 1910s | prospector | 

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Taglines:

There Will Be Greed. There Will Be Vengeance.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul F. Tompkins's line "We gain nothing by losing our heads." was improvised.

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Goofs

While laying the pipeline toward the ocean, the pipe is being joined so that the female end flows into the male end. The male end should flow into the female end.

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Quotes

Eli Sunday: You are a stupid man, Abel. You've let someone come in here and walk all over us. You let him in and do his work here, and you are a stupid man for what we could have had.
Abel Sunday: I followed His word, Eli. I tried.
Eli Sunday: You didn't do anything but sit down. You're lazy and you're stupid. Do you think God is going to save you for being stupid? He doesn't save stupid people, Abel.
[Eli clambers across the table and slams Abel to the ground]
Eli Sunday: I will tear you apart for what you've done, you stupid man! How did he ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, except for the title.

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Connections

Spoofed in Son of a Seahorse (2009)

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Soundtracks

Smear
Composed by Jonny Greenwood
Performed by London Sinfonietta (as The London Sinfonietta)
Conducted by Martyn Brabbins
Ondes Martenot Solos by Valérie Hartmann-Claverie & Bruno Perrault
Recorded for Broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 25th June 2005
Licensed courtesy of BBC Worldwide

User Reviews

A Powerful Blow

Who is Paul Thomas Anderson? There is something about him that does't belong to this earth. That could be a compliment or not, it's all up to us. That's what make his cinema so damn unique. At the end of the day it's all up to us. But the abrasive way in which he visits universes and throws his views to us is so powerful, so arrogant, so enthralling, so infuriating that the experience leaves you baffled and suspicious. but also enchanted, transformed. Here, Daniel's saga could very well be the saga of a Hollywood maverick. So little time for sentimentality. Daniel Day Lewis seems to understand it all and he adds his unmistakable humanity to another monster, after his butcher in Gangs Of New York. His performance goes beyond anything we've seen recently anywhere. From Upton Sinclair to Paul Thomas Anderson via Daniel Day Lewis an unmissable work of art.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English American Sign Language

Release Date:

25 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Oil!

Filming Locations:

Shafter, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$190,739, 30 December 2007

Gross USA:

$40,222,514

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$76,181,545

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Vantage, Miramax, Ghoulardi Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

158 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1