Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Daniel Day-Lewis | ... | Daniel Plainview | |
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Martin Stringer | ... | Silver Assay Worker |
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Matthew Braden Stringer | ... | Silver Assay Worker |
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Jacob Stringer | ... | Silver Assay Worker |
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Joseph Mussey | ... | Silver Assay Worker |
Barry Del Sherman | ... | H.B. Ailman | |
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Harrison Taylor | ... | Baby HW |
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Stockton Taylor | ... | Baby HW |
Paul F. Tompkins | ... | Prescott | |
Dillon Freasier | ... | HW | |
Kevin Breznahan | ... | Signal Hill Man | |
Jim Meskimen | ... | Signal Hill Married Man | |
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Erica Sullivan | ... | Signal Hill Woman |
Randall Carver | ... | Mr. Bankside | |
Coco Leigh | ... | Mrs. Bankside |
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 ... Written by Huggo
PT Anderson's name already means something, or I should say something else. His self assuredness alone gives me shivers. A modern artist with such clear and severe vision of the world. Boogie Nights, Magnolia, even Punch Drunk Love have an Wellesian disregard for what's in or out. His films are landmarks that may infuriate some, confuse others and mesmerize the rest of us. Here, with the rigorous tale of an impervious oil man, PT Anderson outdoes himself. He has Daniel Day Lewis as his accomplice in a performance that would be as difficult to match as it is difficult to describe. There is a monstrous beauty here that not even a broken nose can disguise. The saga is filled with long silent moments of tension that take place in a cinematic canvas and an actor's head. PT Anderson must have known that this was going to be, not only not a mainstream opus but a hard pill to swallow. I for one stand up to applaud his daringness.