There Will Be Blood

Coming into There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson had already directed three terrific films in Boogie Nights, the great Magnolia and the underrated Punch-Drunk Love. However there was nothing in his work that could have hinted where he would go next, an epic period drama about the greed and cruelty possessed by the human race. Think of it as Citizen Kane in hell. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview in the best performance of the decade. The best way to describe his character would be to quote Mike Tyson’s description of Don King in the 2009 documentary Tyson: he’s a ‘wretched, slimy, reptilian motherfucker.’ Plainview is hateful towards all. He puts on an act of a sincere family man when he needs to, using his son, H.W., as a prop to get to the oil he desires. Once his son loses his hearing in an accident, Plainview no longer has any use for him and sends him off to a boarding school. When H.W. comes back to him later in the film to reveal that he will be drilling his own oil, a competitor, Daniel chases him out of the house berating him as a “bastard from a basket” and telling him he is not his son. There is no sadness or veiled-attachment to be found in this vintage Day-Lewis explosion, just pure hatred. Was Daniel Plainview evil from the start, or is he driven to this point by a combination of greed, power and alcoholism?

This is one of the most physical Hollywood films ever made. The scenes of manual labor while drilling for oil, building pipelines or the brilliant no-dialogue introduction where Plainview breaks his leg mining for gold all seem gratingly real. The score by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood is more horror-film than period epic, and it fits perfectly, shrieking its way through Daniel’s growing empire and sins. The wild finale, in which Daniel Plainview bashes his rival Paul Sunday’s (Paul Dano) head in is the only fitting conclusion to this tale of madness. It is a perfect final note in this masterpiece.

The rest of my list is in no particular order

Adaptation.- Adaptation. is proof of Charlie Kaufman’s genius, even the title has numerous meanings. Kaufman writes himself into the story, creates a fictional twin brother, blasts Hollywood blockbuster clichés and then jokingly embraces them as well. It is also proof that Nicholas Cage is one of the best actors of the generation.

24 Hour Party People- British director Michael Winterbottom made the best punk rock movie ever. It follows Tony Wilson, a fringe journalist and head of Factory Records starting in the late 70’s with the band Joy Division and onward. Steve Coogan’s portrayal of Wilson is hilarious. This film is a true pleasure to watch.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans- Not the madman Werner Herzog’s best work by a long shot, but certainly his most entertaining. Nicholas Cage’s performance is worthy of an award, too bad the academy would never nominate a movie this sadistically satisfying.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead- A glorious robbery-gone-wrong film that explores dark regions of family decay and desperation. Philip Seymour Hoffman is at his best and Marissa Tomei is sublimely sexy as usual. Not bad for an 83-year-old director.

Mulholand Dr.- Another baffling nightmare from David Lynch. This film is all about mood, don’t even try to understand the plot, just absorb it and enjoy it.

Pan’s Labyrinth- A visually stunning and touching mix of fantasy and reality taking place during the Spanish Civil War. This is a film that Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam and Peter Jackson wish they could make.

Y Tu Mamá También- This helped pave the way for a memorable period of Mexican cinema. It falls in the category of a road movie and works as an interesting coming of age story (imagine that!). No one is better at handheld camera use than Caurón.

Inglorious Basterds- Brad Pitt exclaims at the end of Basterds after carving another swastica into a Nazi’s forehead, ‘I think this might just be my masterpiece.’ Is it Tarantino’s masterpiece as well? I think so, at least so far. Plenty has been said about Christopher Waltz’ Col. Landa, I’d like to give a shout out to Mélanie Laurent who is perfect as the heroine Shosanna.

Elephant- Gus Van Sant’s neo-realist interpretation of the Columbine massacre puts the viewer right into a high school on the day of such a calamity. Chilling stuff.

Amelie- Audrey Tautou plays one of the most lovable characters of the decade in this highly stylized film from Jean-Pierre Jeanet. The score by Yann Tierson is perfect.

Bad Education- A dark, complex and personal tale from Pedro Almodóvar involving sexual abuse by catholic priests and their long-lasting damages. Gale García Bernal is terrific as a suffering transsexual.

The Proposition- The best western of the decade, apologies to the also excellent The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and it takes place in Australia. This brutal, violent flick would surely impress Sergio Leone.

The New World- Terrance Malick is still the man. Don’t hate.

The Wrestler- I always thought Darren Aronofsky had a ton of talent and had yet to materialize it. With The Wrestler, which should have won best picture, he has truly arrived. It is likely that there is no other actor who could have handled this role, Mickey Rourke pours his heart into it and nails it. A great, great film.

Tim’s best of the decade

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