The film does suffer from two issues that could not have been avoided. They are Plainview’s relationship with his son H.W. and Eli. Metaphorically, their importance is too understated to deem them as understood, but if Plainview is personifying oil then his relation to both — heir-apparent and chief rival — couldn’t be anything but slippery. One is a successor and is thus treated and molded until he becomes defective. H.W. is deafened after a drill he was close to explodes. Plainview sees this as a burden on him and treats H.W. with a neglect that haunts him. There is no other to carry on his business so an uneasy truce must be sorted out.

It’s an emotion Anderson doesn’t explore more of and H.W., who was propped in silence even before the incident, rebels silently, biding his time which may or may never come. Eli, as the Church, is even more formidable because it holds human power that Plainview cannot do away with. Though Dano is a bit over the top with the performance, there are genuine moments when the fervor grips him and his writhing body is a marvel to behold. One suspects his character is shady but again Anderson fails to distinguish what drives the young man.

That failure to distinguish and project is what ultimately limits Anderson’s ambitious film. The last thirty minutes are its most trying and only Day-Lewis’ presence prevents it from turning into a sort of tragi-comedy. It loses steam and only Plainview’s very last act rescues it. It’s a decisive blow at the end of a film that promised a ton of decisive blows but delivered only a few splattered around. It’s also a sensational ending that will cause controversy because of its metaphorical meaning.

Kudos to Anderson for daring to parallel two great enigmas but next time he needs to even out their viewpoints instead of padding them out in unsatisfactory sequences. Plainview sees an uncaring world that his very own actions help to perpetuate yet retreads further into his mind. We the viewer see him for the cunning man he is and as the large elephant encroached in the room, trumpeting loudly while we hope to avoid his vicious path.

RATING: 8/10