Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood is easily one of the top ten movies of the 2000s. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis as ruthless oilman Daniel Plainview, who inexorably rises to power in the early 20th century while slowly losing his humanity.
Audiences and critics went wild for it in 2007 and it was nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. On the night it walked away with the Best Actor for Day-Lewis and Best Cinematography.
Now There Will Be Blood is available to stream on Netflix and audiences have been drinking it up like so much milkshake. The movie has been rocketing up the charts, peaking at no. 2 on the domestic movie top ten.
In the years since its release, many have analyzed Daniel Plainview’s story and view it as a warning about unchecked capitalism and greed. It’s also been seen as a parable about the birth of modern America, as well as having ecological implications related to climate change due to the power of fossil fuels.
But beyond that, There Will Be Blood is just a damn good watch. Daniel Day-Lewis is absolutely magnetic as Plainview, and Paul Dano is no slouch either. There’s an incredible scene in which Plainview is forced to admit that he abandoned his son before a church that’s indelibly burned into the mind of anyone that’s watched it.
And then, of course, there’s the “I drink your milkshake” scene. This has become a meme in its own right, with many people being aware of it who haven’t even seen the movie.
If you count yourself among those people, then take the time to check out There Will Be Blood on Netflix. It’s awesome.
