“There Will Be Blood” is director Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie based on Upton Sinclair’s novel “Oil.”  The film is about Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) a corrupt oil miner who’s only goal is to be as rich as he possible can be.

Plainview is a miner turned oilman who is driven by his goals, and will do anything to accomplish them. He is a hard worker but he takes advantage of whoever he can. Plainview’s business partner, as he refers to him, is his adopted son H.W. Plainview (Dillon Freasier) who is used by Daniel as mainly a tool for sympathy.

The story takes a turn when Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) comes on the big screen. Eli is one in a pair of twins whose family farm Daniel purchases for its oil-rich land. Eli is the local preacher and a self-proclaimed prophet, he wants the money from the land to go to the building of his church. From here the story rockets into a rivalry between Daniel and Eli, two very competitive men, one trying to expand his oil kingdom and the other trying to start his own religious empire.

This movie is a must see if you are interested in acting or just have a respect for what acting is. Daniel Day-Lewis gives what I think is his best and most powerful performance in “There Will Be Blood.” Day-Lewis, in every performance, takes on the role like no other can or would want to. In preparation for this movie and throughout Day-Lewis slept in a tent and learned how to actually mine for oil, early 1900’s style. Day-Lewis absolutely controls the screen throughout the entire film, even in the first 20 minutes when not a single word of dialogue is spoken, he is still able to bring an intensity to the screen that matches the intensity of the title.

“There Will Be Blood,” has moments of terror, relentless corruption, heart-felt drama and maybe even a few laughs. I don’t think this film is for everyone but it has a wide enough range that a lot of people would really enjoy it.