While Anderson’s impeccable direction is responsible for the success of There Will Be Blood, the star of the show is not the director, but Daniel Day Lewis. The great British actor is on screen for almost every frame and dominates the film with his performance. This is partly to do with the character, who is the type of man that immediately takes control of a room, but is primarily the result of Lewis’ skill as a performer. His Plainview is a monster who slowly loses the ability to conceal this fact. When the character sleeps he even growls like a bear, yet Lewis makes this trait seem utterly believable and natural. It is the best performance of his career and quite possibly one of the finest ever caught on film. Other actors such as Little Miss Sunshine’s Paul Dano do strong work in supporting roles, but it is impossible to ever take your eyes off of Lewis.

<--page-->

The other vital contributor to the success of this great film is composer Johnny Greenwood. Anderson hired the Radiohead guitarist to produce his first score for a motion picture and Greenwood delivered in spades. The aggressive barrage of strings and percussions that he created perfectly mirrors the emotional and physical violence (see title) of the story. The work is memorable enough that Greenwood could find himself a new career in Hollywood if that whole rock band thing doesn’t work out.