Early buzz about the movie set the bar unnaturally high for Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance as the oilman, Daniel Plainview. In a rare occasion, all the expectations are trumped. For the nearly two hours and forty-minutes the actor’s on the screen, he never takes a breath as anyone but Plainview. The highest compliment that can be extolled upon the actor is that he makes a character like Plainview so viewable and memorable. His performance ranks among the greats in many aspects.

Day-Lewis easily matches Robert De Niro’s bruising performance in Raging Bull, as a man whose personal demons threaten to destroy him. The performance is even comparable to Jack Nicholson’s performance in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, in detailing a man that walks a fine line between coherence and insanity. There’s not enough that can be said about Daniel Day-Lewis’ work in this film.

The other elements of the film are also top-notch in every aspect. Each actor gives an exceptional performance, especially Paul Dano and Dillon Freasier. Dano believably goes toe-to-toe with Day-Lewis as Eli Sunday in the film’s most squirm-inducing moments, including the incredible finale (which also includes an instant classic of a quote). It’s a shame that Dano didn’t get an Oscar nod for Supporting-Actor.

Freasier plays Plainview’s son with an incredibly stoic presence. I’ve never been one that particularly cared for child actors, but this kid has tremendous talent. It’s a shame I can’t talk more about his performance and meaning to the film, for he’s a key aspect to Plainview’s character and the film’s plot development.

One of the other standout features of the film is the score. If Dano’s overlook from the Academy can be considered a shame, it’s an absolute travesty that the Academy ruled Jonny Greenwood’s score ineligible for Oscar-contention. Greenwood (who is the main hand behind the genius that is Radiohead) creates musical pieces for the film that range from sublime, moving compositions to nerve-shattering, pulsating string-arrangements. The film also employs works by Brahms and Arvo Part that complements the atmosphere perfectly.

Still, the greatest praise for There Will Be Blood belongs to the writer/director, Paul Thomas Anderson. With his fifth picture, Anderson has become one of the most important American directors that still makes films. There were many moments when I had to remind myself it was directed by Anderson, and not somebody like John Huston or Stanley Kubrick. The film actually seems like the type of western that Kubrick would have made. In my opinion, that’s the greatest compliment a director can receive for his work.

Whether you love it or hate it, There Will Be Blood is a film you won’t easily forget.