Film history is littered with performances that plunge into the darkest urges of humanity, and explore the phenomenon of unchecked greed. Pacino has two under his belt – Michael Corleone and Tony Montana. Both turn inhumanly monstrous and commit depraved acts of murder. The characters remain riveting to watch because their respective films patiently develop a moral code that leads to murder. Plainview never opens a window into his own soul; instead he takes an impish pleasure in denying anyone (including the audience) any knowledge of his inner workings.
Day-Lewis’ performance is all taut jaw, clenched throat, and Tom Selleck mustache. He’s hypnotically watchable, but is it performing? Is it acting or is it just his charisma? All of his memorable performances strike the same smoldering intensity, and most veer dangerously close to parody. Here, particularly, he seems stuck in the same gear as in Scorsese's Gangs Of New York. If anything, his Bill the Butcher was the more hypnotic creation. Under Scorsese’s direction, Day-Lewis walked a fine line between seductive and reprehensible. More importantly, even though Bill's motives were opaque, you were never quite sure when he would let things slide into disaster. Bill the Butcher knew that he could unleash hell on cue, but he also understood that his power lay in holding it back.
From the opening scene to the final, murderous image, the completely opaque Plainview is, ironically, transparent. What you see is exactly what you get, and the lack of surprise becomes wearying. There are no flaws in the clarity to help shape or define it. Watching him is a grueling feat of endurance. There’s no enjoying the thrill of villainy. There are no moral judgments made, nor is there a skewing of a moral compass to let us see the world through Plainview’s eyes.
Just like the Coen's static No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood is just an icy facade, devoid of substance. In a year or two, after a dozen more critically anointed "masterpieces" have unrolled in theaters, Anderson's epic won't be more than a footnote.
Article comments
1 - rb
I don't think you get it. Maybe you should take up knitting.
2 - Chris McVetta
No, you definitely don't need to take up knitting. You need to keep on reviewing movies, nonetheless. Brilliant.