In a nutshell: Religion is Eli's business. Business is Daniel's religion.

Personally, I think Daniel Plainview loved his son. He just loved oil more.

Paul Dano is also unforgettable in this movie!

I disagree about this film being devoid of humour. It does have flashes of humour, they are just very dark.

There Will Be Blood is my favorite film of all time. Thus far.

One interesting note when Daniel says "I want to earn enough money to get away from everyone". He clearly meets that stage in the movie, even in spite of being in such a secluded mansion, he oversees things directly and continues to compete, both in the sense of business, and with Eli. I don't think he wants to get away from people, I think he wants to have enough money to drive people away from him, or destroy them. He hates people, but would rather revel in their loss than simply isolate himself from them, truly. He's beyond sociopathic, he's psychopathic. His purpose is to compete and destroy.

Ever since I first saw this movie on a Redbox DVD when I was bored in 2007, TWBB has remained my favorite movie of all time and it would take a masterpiece of equal or greater brilliance to replace it. I've seen it literally dozens of times and with each viewing I notice new similarities and correlations between characters. Even in your review you revealed a ton of things that I hadn't noticed before (like the pick ax grave digging callback to the opening scene, that blows my mind how I didn't notice that before). Really great job, thanks for putting so much work and expertise into these reviews!

This is the best performance of any actor... ever.

best film of the 21st century

I disagree with you about Daniel Plainview being so uniformly evil throughout the movie (even in retrospect). Obviously he's a pretty terrible person in a lot of ways, but I'm not convinced that everything he did was born out of opportunism. I also think he's a much less interesting character if you see him as so one-sided. It's way more interesting to me to consider that a deeply flawed man still has a little basic humanity, particularly in his relationship with the young H.W.

From the opening scene, I always felt it was clear that there was something WRONG with Daniel, something inhumane. That use of music just made me feel like something about him was off-center. The score was very well-done.

The soundtrack is probably in my top 5 film scores. I was obsessed with it when I first saw the movie back in '07. So haunting.

I think Good/Bad Is an overly Simplistic View of His character. The way I personally look at it is that he is extremely self aware he knows his inner desire to accumulate wealth not for grandiose "look at me" purposes but for a very realistic mechanism to shield himself from what he deems "the stupidity of others" you can say he's a sociopath in a way in that he will dispense of those he see's as ignorant and weak. He stays true to this theme in the killing of his imposter brother he's a hard man created and born from a hard life. He murders him for his betrayal as he deems him another worth less being (in his mind) in his way leeching off of the hard working and deserving (himself) yo see this continued in his interaction with other business men when he see's them also as leeches. He has a noteworthy but hypocritical view of others as pawns all trying to suck off of each other where he views himself as deserving to exploit the exploiters. He see's the village filled with suckers and the likes. I also think that although he's a Dark character many admire him because of how true he is to himself his pure ambition to achieve a goal despite being a flawed and Dark man absent of any perceived "happiness" I personally Love the movie and I think the way people react to his character say's a lot about the truth of human nature.

That was one goddamn hell of a review!

I love how he sleeps on the ground, and people can't wake him up... like the slumbering demon, being awoken by the fresh "blood", the new American era. The only scene where he is instantly woken up is when the fire is in his room. When he's at home.

Daniel proclaims "I'm finished" at the end of the movie. He says it loudly boldly. I keep changing my mind on what he means by that statement. There is a butler or house keeper the older gentleman that wakes Daniel for the meeting with Mr Sunday whom he agrees to meet with and then humiliates and kills. Was he calling to the butler to come clean up his meal plates and body of Mr Sunday? Was he saying he's finished as in done with all his adversary's/ competition? Mr Sunday was his last connection to another human even though it was adversarial. Is he saying he's done having to deal with any of these "People" as Daniel had previously stated. Is he done being a human at all letting go and just becoming a completely isolated man like it seemed he wanted to be? Any insights into what he means when he says "I'm Finished" would enjoy any ideas on exactly what he meant by that statement being the last lines in the movie. And very off for someone even Daniel to say out loud, just proclaiming victory or alerting the butler? Any insights into what happened here would be fun and appreciated.

i like how Plainview always sleeps on the toughest hardest floors after a heavy drinking session!they always wake him on the ground maybe a beds for dying in not sleeping in his eyes??amazing character all the same,its in my top five films of all time.

As Daniel climbs back into the mine, a rung of his makeshift ladder snaps and he falls into the well, knocking him unconscious and breaking his leg in the process. He wakes up and not only realizes the gravity of his situation, but that he's also uncovered a substantial cache of silver. He picks up a piece, spits on it, then wipes it clean, confirming his suspicion and further compounding the stakes. Through determination and sheer force of will, he pulls himself out of the deep mine that he alone built and manages to travel back to town on his back, pushing himself through the hot, dry, arid desert with one leg. The pain must have been unimaginable. The opening few minutes of this film (without dialogue) sets masterfully sets Daniel up as a ruthless, hardworking businessman that will let nothing stop him from acheiving his goals...not even death.

I think there’s more to the Daniel roughing up Eli in the dirt scene. Before that, Daniel walked into Eli’s church and saw a man that had captivated an entire community. What was once who he thought was a weak boy was now a major threat. Eli was very powerful and Daniel knew it. Left unchecked, he surely would have had the upper hand. Daniel had to dominate him into submission and fear.

I like your take. However, I would disagree that he is a monster, and always has been. This I think is quite obvious because he is clearly struggling with himself. If he was a monster he would not care, he just falls on the wrong side of the line. His ambition and competition instinct overpowers him. So I would say he is a much more nuanced character than how you interpret him.

one of the best character studies ive ever seen. so well done. especially love the part at 12:00 and yes. dd lewis is absolutely spectacular

This was a fantastic analysis. Terrific work, you just earned a new subscriber!

This is the first of these Ive seen. This is my favorite Film and I am beyond impressed with some of the ideas thrown here. Brilliant Job.

DDL gave the greatest performance in movie cinema. A masterpiece!!

Man your analysis of films is fantastic you bring up new things to appreciate in films I have already loved. You have a real gift for this stuff and I look forward to seeing your new videos in the future.

I've watched and read a lot of analyses of this movie, and this is easily the best I've come across. Stellar work!

Beautifully done video. There Will Be Blood is one of the finest movies ever made. Top 10. Loved the "deaf ears" joke :D

dat greenwood music tho

Is no one talking about how hurt and betrayed Daniel felt when his son told him he was leaving? He constantly kept shouting that he was only an orphan from a basket but deep down Daniel was telling him self this to convince himself because he can’t bare the thought of his own son abandoning him. It’s a front he puts on as a defense mechanism. He clearly loves children and he never hit his child. I imagine he left because his father used to beat him as a child given how he felt about the little girls father beating her for not praying and warned him not to. Clearly Daniel had good reasons for running away from home and probably developed his hatred for humanity I imagine from early childhood.

As always, awesome take on the movie. Every time you bring up points I'd never thought of. Good stuff

Amazing analysis. Thank you for making me enjoying this masterpiece even more. Best regards from France.

I really like your intelligent and thoughtful film criticisms and look forward to future posts.

Not only was this a great video but I really feel like it made me appreciate the movie more which is awesome. Nice work and keep it up!

The "fall on deaf ears" comment made me lose my shit haha awesome video man keep up the great work, you should maybe do 50/50 if you've seen it.

I´ve been waiting for this review, thank you for doing it.

I can agree this might be the single greatest acting performance in a movie.

I cant decide if The Master or There Will Be Blood is my favorite movie.

Just saw this yesterday and maybe this is easy to notice but, I personally found Daniel and Eli to be pretty much the same person but on different spectrum's. Eli was charismatic, young, naive but determined preacher who wanted to use Daniel to his advantage to build his church and in turn make a profit and living by having more converts attending his sermons. He seemed to care about other people, making him sympathetic, but in the end he was looking for fame and fortune for himself. In turn, Daniel was an old, manipulative but greedy entrepreneur who wanted to use the people of Little Boston (just like other towns) to build his oil empire, promising them schools, bread and development. He seemed to care about other people, but in the end he used them to get fame and fortune. They were both players as characters, using other people, Daniel used H.W and Eli wanted to use Daniel. I find it interesting however, that in the end, it was Eli's brother, Paul, who ended up benefiting (financially) and not Eli, maybe because Paul wasn't a liar and a false prophet but instead more like Daniel. So in this aspect, I think the movie kind of wants to touch on the topic of preachers and religion as well.

Absolutely brilliant analysis for an absolutely brilliant film. Thank you for this.

TWBB is probably my favorite movie Good video keep up the quality work buddy

8:51 WOW. You've really earned my subscription!

man this video was absolutely excellent!! Great analysis my man

These videos are the best and so eye opening. It's like you bring out a great message from every movie that I didn't notice.. Thank you Marcus :D

Terrific job once again!

A brilliant piece of work my friend.

Amazing review! Thanks for making me go watch this masterpiece of a film yet again!

Really good analysis. Very well done :) Just re-watched this movie over the weekend for the 10th time or so and it just blows me away every time. A Masterpiece if there ever was one. Hail Paul Thomas Anderson.

Amazing analysis again man.I think you are very undersubscribed.I seriously love this segment.Keep up the great work!!

Stellar overview of an incredible film.

lovely analysis josh !! bravoo !!

I love your analysis of the film! This is by far my favourite movie of all time, also I share your opinion about Daniel Day-Lewis a brilliant actor, I loveee him. I was expecting the "milkshake" part 😂

Man wonderfull your analyses, keep going...

"mute mic drop"..."falling on deaf ears"....this man is holding a clinic haha

This movie is a treasure. It's one of those movies that electrifies your perception, sitting there, unified with the projecting light. Once this movie starts, or even if I only go back to watch "just one scene", I end up watching it whole. I can stop it, it's mesmerizing. And because Daniel Day-Lewis teaches us all, even the ignorant like me, what it takes and what it means to act.

I'm so pleased with this video!

The greatest aspect of Daniel Plainview is the fact that you can see him however you want depending on your perspective and how you interpret his actions. He’s one of those characters like Charles Foster Kane and Alonzo Harris that no matter how many times you watch the movie you can never truly tell what he is.

yoooo youtube algorithm going crazy, an awesome video and I love your channel and interpretations. Thank you!! :0

DDL is a master of his craft. His every roll is a full on embodiment and he marks his place in every roll so profoundly that no one could match it. He takes everyone deep into the world in which he wishes and none of us are looking for an exit.

When I saw this in my feed I stopped all things, made me some fancy popcorn and watched this with delight!

This was beautiful analysis. Say hello to a new subscriber!

What an insightful review! I have seen TWBB at least 4 times now and could not figure out why I am so transfixed and moved by this movie. Now I know!

I really enjoyed this. Good job!

Very well done! Please keep them coming :)

I agree with you. The best performance I’ve ever seen! Great video

Fantastic breakdown. I've seen the film probably 12-15 times. Each viewing makes me realize how complex Daniel's character actually is. We know he came from humble beginnings in the Midwest and clearly made his own way as a true son of capitalism - before the book was seemingly written. Like you, I often find him to be an - EDIT: evil, at times - opportunist who only cares about himself. A true sociopath. But I've changed my tune only slightly after the most recent watch. Immediately following the scene where he disowns his son, a brief flashback plays of a loving time with his son and Mary Sunday (seemingly from Daniel's point of view - after having zoomed in on Daniel taking a large, introspective drink). He clearly is revisiting a poignant memory; one that shows he truly did love and care for HW. In the same vein, you can tell throughout the film he has a real love for Mary Sunday. He protects her from her abusive father, buys her a dress, and always embraces her with genuine compassion. All that said, I do believe Daniel wanted nothing more than love, compassion, and trust in his life. And while he was an opportunist and no doubt used HW, he wasn't completely evil. tl;dr version: Daniel Planview is very complicated, but not evil.

i love the parallel you drew between the swinging pickaxe scenes, but i would take it a step further to include his bowling pin murder at the end.

Really incredible work! Keep it up :)

What a fucking brilliant analysis of this film, you are a master.

Very well done. Something to think about. Thanks for posting!

My Man! My Man! GREAT WORK!

That demon theory is spot on. I always thought Plainview looked very devilish throughout the movie but figured it was just a coincidence. Amazing video! I'm turning into a better screen writer and movie analyst with every video you upload!

the very last point you made about america really altered my perspective of the movie. Thanks!

Another great video! Keep em coming!

Another great video man!!

mind-blowing movie and fantastic analysis

Dope analysis. Really fantastic

Man you're good I listen to a lot of movie reviews and movie review stations and channels and I can listen to you all day long while driving while working I love your reviews I think you do a great great job and I've been a fan of movies since 1980 I've been watching movies and studying movies my whole life I would love for you to do they call me Bruce or the wizard of speed and time

Superb exhaustive analysis, thanks! :)

Wonderful analysis, Great job.

Awesome video, will check out the other ones too ^^ Happy to find another good channel.

8:50 i love that

Really good video. I'm new to this channel, and your comparison with TWBB and It's a Wonderful life was very interesting, it does make me think different about success, just like you mentioned at 17:26.

+Matt Reis (starting a new comment because KZfaq wouldn't let me reply directly) I'm not condoning the beating of children, I'm asking a *question* about Daniel's intention. And as I said, my interpretation is more that he's pulling a power move on Abel more than anything else. But this is ignoring the bigger issue: you're saying Daniel _isn't_ evil because he stops a little girl from being hit by her dad, and apparently this outweighs the fact that he _murdered_ two people for little-to-no reason. I acknowledged before that Daniel has plenty of complexity, but you can simultaneously be complex and a really bad dude. And just as a side note, not that it matters: I made an 18-minute video trying to convincingly back-up my claims, and you tried to hand-wave away my claims by insisting that they're instead backed up by nothing but my religious and social views (you also inaccurately assessed my religious and social views). From where I'm standing, I'm not the one with the blind spot. But if you disagree, I'd love to hear more of your take on this movie, particularly those "multiple levels" you mentioned.

I love these :) Keep up the good work! I would love to see The Prestige, Seven or even Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind :p

Great vid. Keep em' coming

This was fantastic

Fantastic! Thank you!

there have been a bunch of links made between pta and stanley kubrick films, but i especially got some 2001 a space odyssey vibes watching this. the scene where plainview is striking (get it?) eli with the bowling pin made me think back to the apes first learning to swing the clubs/bones in 2001. the themes of evolution, both of man and desire, really stood out to me during my fourth/fifth viewing, or maybe i'm just crazy..

I watched this movie with my boyfriend who is also a huge movie buff. Anyway we didn't like it as much, I guess it's just not really up our alley or we just weren't paying enough attention. But your video showed me why it does make sense to love this movie. I still think it's a bit to long but I would consider watching it again with having this video in mind. I think you analyse movies in such great detail that one just kind of wants to watch them all.

This is heavy man! Good job. Please do more such as children of men, Gattaca, tree of life, Solaris, In the name of the father, Interstellar, V for Vendetta, Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind, Fight Club. And I sure hope you liked these movies :D

Great analysis. I've been obsessed with this movie for a while. This and No Country for Old Men are my favorite of the past 10-15 years. Any recommendations for similar films or ones that are as good, thematically, in terms of acting, cinematography, subtlety, score etc.? I'm thinking of watching some of PTA's influences, Altman and Kubrick. Keep up the good work!

brilliant as always! would you consider doing a video on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? one of my favourite movies ever, along with in Bruges and fight club!

very good last note.... i salute you kind sir.

I find this video oddly relaxing for no reason

This movie struck me with that knowledge of this kind of success not being worth it, such a miserable man. Damned before death, he must drink himself into oblivion just to quiet the demon that lie within. Daniel wasn’t just vile to the point of alienating everyone, he was vile to the point of alienating even his own self.

great analysis as usual. I know a lot of people love There Will be Blood, and I get it, but I really think PTA films like Magnolia, Inherent Vice and especially The Master, do a lot more for me upon repeat viewings. They feel more challenging, unique and subtle. Instead of big, brass and in your face like TWBB

I was fooled by Da- Lewis' character myself. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but then again that's what sociopaths are supposed to be like, and I think that was the beauty of it. Even the audience was deceived. You kept getting more hints as the movie went along as to his true nature until the very end when he at his most cruel (not to mention most hilarious)

The scene where the prospectors arrive (the music in the scene is also called Prospectors Arrive) really ties in with your final statement about capitalism and America. It's almost as though the prospectors descend on the placelike a plague of locusts. The scene contrasts with Daniel's assurances that the drilling will bring wealth and prosperity in that the atmosphere (and the music) in the scene almost seem to suggest that something is dying. It's almost funereal. Great analysis by the way!

Great analysis, as usual. I must say your opening line is gold. Daniel Day Lewis in this film is also most definitely my favorite acting role of all time - I was in 7th grade when I saw this movie, and it's what opened my eyes to differentiating bad acting from good acting and good acting from GREAT acting. This is most definitely a legendary role, along with DeNiro in Raging Bull or Brando in On the Waterfront.

I feel double duped, the first watch through I felt empathy for Daniel and didn’t think he was completely evil and then the second time I saw how the evil was always there just couldn’t scratch the surface and then the third time I saw how hurt he really was as an old man and he lashed out and attacked HW as a defense mechanism...this movie has so many layers and it truly shows not everything is black and white there is so much grey area in the film