*****SPOILER CITY FOR THERE WILL BE BLOOD***** DON’ T READ IF YOU HAVE YET TO SEE THE FILM.
As metal clashes stone, sparks fly, illuminating a man in a hole fervently chipping away at the earth like a slave under the gaze of a taskmaster. The man who labors is Daniel Plainview, and he serves no master of flesh and blood, but of ambition and the driving desire to win. Injured at the movement he struck gold, he cries not, and climbs forth from the hole with a big enough chunk to pay his medical bills and fund his next endeavor – Oil.
The true confession of Plainview is this; “I’ve got a competition in me”. Like a haunting proclimation of damnation, and without reasons why, we learn that the driving force behind this man is the desire to win. All that is good in life is put aside to serve this end, in hope that victory will bring the ultimate satisfaction.
Plainview is bent on industry and has no, or little time for people. After he shores up a legendary land deal, he meets another oil man that was a day late for the bounty. In a humorous moment, Plainview rubs the man’s face in the dirt, only to offer up a tip on land to the east. Plainview bestows this knowledge upon the man as a deity; and he, in turn, accepts the tip as gospel. A man who respects Plainview, is a neighbor he can handle. In fact the only people that seem to be tolerated by Plainview are those that revere him. Those that doubt him, or pay him no mind, are less than insects.
Plainview seems to meet his match (for a few years anyway) in the dueling Sunday twins. Paul Sunday uses his knowledge of oil rich lands to strike a deal with Plainview, and in so doing hopes to throw the devil himself (Plainview) at his brother Eli, the preacher. Plainview admires the candor of the cocksure deal maker and promises him $10 000 if the claim brings forth oil; and if it doesn’t – there will be blood to pay.
The preacher then steps up and tries to get a piece of the pie using religion as a way to control both the town and the employees of Plainview. Plainview and the boy go back and forth wrestling for control, punches are thrown, time passes and eventually the kid gets a leg up on him. A parishioner of Eli’s church owns land needed by Daniel to complete his pipeline. In order to get the last plot, Eli blackmails Plainview, forcing him to convert and confess his most embarrassing secret in front of the congregation. Plainview smiles during his baptism of defeat because he can see the big picture, and although he lost the battle – he knows the war is won.
Plainview is as good a salesmen, as he is an industrialist. Using smoke, mirrors and impeccable manners, he smoothes out deals like the devil himself. He admires and loathes those with similar skills in this regard. In a few instances he seems genuinely impressed at the skill of the young preacher to control his flock, and welcomes a con man as a brother (for a time). He can appreciate the skill they wield, but finds it off putting that they can see through his bullshit (as he sees through theirs).
Killing his impostor brother, Plainview soon follows suit at the film’s climax, killing the preacher man that sees himself as a brother in arms to Plainview. Daniel informs the reverend Eli that he has an affinity for Paul Sunday (the twin that first struck the deal). He was true to his word, got $10, 000 “cash in hand” and used the revenue to begin his own oil business. Plainview makes it well known to the preacher that he’s a fraud, and that his brother (the self made oil man) is the one that could be seen as a kindred spirit to Plainview, not he. He then proceeds to mock and belittle Eli until he is hulled of all pride and worth. It’ s at the preachers lowest moment that Plainview kills him. He striped him down, only to beat him into oblivion as a sniveling coward.
Daniel Plainview takes the Klingon Proverb: “Revenge is a dish best served cold” to new heights.
As the movie begins, so it ends. With no opponents left to test him, and not a friend in the world, Plainview is left alone in a hole of his own creation.
I just have a question if anyone know its. What role does Religion play in this movie?
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I still dont understand the fasination for this film. I liked it but I didnt love it like everyone. I would give it a 7/10.
Daniel Plainview takes the Klingon Proverb: “Revenge is a dish best served cold” to new heights.
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I am pretty sure it was a combination of H.W. finding out about the con man, and the fact that his father was now spending time with him.
Later in the film when Plainview gets a hold of his brothers diary, the pages are charred from the incident.
Doug and Kristina,
Agreed. I also think there’s a parallel to the fact that the son is walking out on his “father” much like Daniel did to him years ago on the train.
As a side note, do you think H.W. set fire to the cabin because he figured out the “brother” of Daniel was a con man, or was it because he was just jealous or was he nutters from going deaf? I haven’t figured that out yet.
About the “bastard in a basket” line…I really believe that he was saying that shit more to save face than to hurt the kid. As much as he wants to act like a hardass, he really did love that little boy, and the thought of his own son(well, not really his own, but hell, you raise him, he’s yours) turning his back on him was the last straw. In any relationship, the scorned party tries to save face by tearing into the other person. That moment was more about Daniel’s need to protect his ego than it was about hurting HW.
His relationship with his son would be another article of equal length. I figured it may be best to leave the son out when I wrote the piece. It may have been a mistake.
His relationship with his son shows us a window into his human side. As time passes, his compassion and trust seem to fade into nothingness. When his madness reaches a fevered pitch, he casts out his own son (that by all accounts he should be proud of). Who knows why his son’s desire to strike out on his own upset him so. Perhaps he was offended that he didn’t want to be part of the family business – or disgusted that money that could be his, was going elsewhere.
The scene with the son was one of the most disturbing of the film – I am in agreement.
Great recap Doug, though you made no mention of Plainview’s relationship with his son which was a major story line throughout the movie. I would argue that the climax of that relationship was as powerful and moving as when he dispatched Eli Sunday.
“Just a bastard in a basket”. You’ve got to be a cold-hearted SOB to say that over and over again. He didn’t physically murder H.W. but he sure did psychologically.
Oh and by the way, in my comment, the first paragraph was regarding There Will Be Blood
It’s funny after I watched the film with my dad and my brother, all three of us were dead silent. The next day, we acknowledged that this was a wonderful film.
And NBAKID,
I think that motel scene was just the Tommy Lee Jones character just imagining Chigurh was there just ready to pounce.
Thank you for the source info on that quote!
“Daniel Plainview takes the Klingon Proverb: “Revenge is a dish best served cold” to new heights.”
Not a Klingon proverb.
The first written appearance of the proverb “revenge is a dish best served cold” is often credited to the 18th century novel Les liaisons dangereuses, but since it doesn’t actually appear in the original French language text, the validity of this attribution is unclear. The English version of this phrase in that exact wording, and arguably the most famous account of this, can be attributed to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
I don’t know, I just can’t commit myself without a proper storyline. No doubt the acting was superb, I especially enjoyed the dynamics between Plainview and Eli. But omehow it’s just not enough for me, I felt the same way about No Country. I couldn’t see how they became so hyped – even though the films were good. I don’t know, maybe I just feel cheated when I don’t get a proper ending… :) It needs to go from A to B for me…
I’m almost afraid to write this, it seems like you HAVE to love these two movies, if you’re a filmgeek… So maybe I’m not?! (Yeah right) That being said, I didn’t hate them, I was just left disappointed.
Although if someone can explain to me the motel scene where Tommy Lee Jones is walking around the crime scene and Chighur (sp?) is in there with him just watching him….please do.
NO ONE I personally know has been able to understand what that was all about. Maybe I just know a lot of dim-witted people (me included) but seriously…what was the significance of that scene?
I was really impressed by the acting in this movie.
The thing I didn’t like was the son disappears and then reappears like 12 years later and is like, “Dad, we’ve been having some problems…” and it’s just like, “woah, what?” for me as an audience. But that could’ve just been me.
Overall…I really have no desire to see this thing again. I wasn’t bored by it and thought it was a good film, but it didn’t NEARLY have the impact No Country did on me…I still think about No Country all the time and right after I watched it I was really kind of obsessed with the characters and the story and everything….and with There Will Be Blood, I was kinda just…”meh” about it. I don’t know, for me I was just kind of like, “….I sat through that for this? …So what?”
So yeah, I acknowledge it’s a great film but overall I thought No Country was a much more enjoyable thought provoking film.
I really love the opening of the film. Silent with that awesomely eerie score. Man vs. Nature.
I look at this film as a cautionary tale to.
i would caution jewish moviegoers to avoid films in which daniel day lewis wears a mustache due to high levels of HAM.
nice article doug…..i loved the character and the movie….best flick of the year imo, much better than no country…..
and arrogance go after no country first, it was good
Hey, happy coincidence, I just watched TWBB Saturday night. I couldn’t believe how powerful (and self-destructive) the Daniel Plainview character was. There’s no other way to describe him but to say he was a force of nature.
I looked at this movie as a cautionary tale. I’m a lot like this character in more ways than I’d like to admit (I didn’t get this nickname by accident), and I appreciate the perspective that the movie presents. Next up is No Country or Juno, any ideas on which I should go after first?
To answer your question Tom, the reason Daniel kills Eli at the end of the film is quite simple:
because he is fucking CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZZY
I never understood why Plainveiw killed Eli after he had so definitively ‘won’ their feud.
Wow Doug, that’s one of the best write-ups I’ve read of this film.
I think I would’ve liked this film more if Eli Sunday’s character were more predominent. Their rivalry is by far the most interesting part of the movie but Eli disappears at the midpoint replaced by the less interesting story about Plainview’s brother from another mother.
The rivalry is so lopsided, both in terms of character and screen time, that it feels like an anticlimactic triumph at the end.
I really do wish I liked this film more.
how closely I identify with this guy.
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What scares me the most is how closely I identify with this guy. I got a competition in me, too, and I sure as hell can’t stand most people, either:)
I have become more obsessed with this film and this character every day since I first saw it back in January. A recent night at the bars devolved into dueling Plainview impersonations (during which my performance frightened friends due to its intensity). On a transatlantic flight, I recently was able to see the entire film for a second time. When the final scene approached, I could feel myself becoming physically and emotionally excited. The anticipation boiled up in me, knowing I was about to watch one of the greatest scenes ever filmed. I adore this film for many reasons, but as even its detractors will admit, Daniel Day Lewis gave one of the greatest performances we’ve ever seen.
People will be writing MFA theses on this movie for decades to come.
Well done, Doug.
He sure is a modern movie legend. Comparable to other great “evil men” in movies in my book, Al Pacino as Tony Montana in Scarface, Joe Pesci as Tommy Devito in Goodfellas, Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction and Michael Madsen as Vic Vega in Reservoir dogs…
That ending sequence with Plainview is one of the most powerful performances in cinematic history. No exaggeration.
This film became an instant classic from the first time I saw it. I can’t get enough of Dainel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview. Every frame of this film stayed with me, and even though Plainview is evil incarnate, you can’t help but root for him.
DRAINNNNAGE!
I saw the film last night finally and was moved.
You are a gentleman Mr. Gee.
“EEEEEEEEEVERY DAAAAAAAAY I drink the blood of lambs from Bandy’s tract”
Wonderful article Doug. I was wondering when you were gonna do more of these. I don’t think General Chang could say anything as awesome as:
“I drink the blood of lambs from Bandy’s tract”