Thursday, January 24, 2008

I'm in Like with Daniel Day-Lewis

On Sunday Beeps and I went to see "There Will Be Blood" starring Mr. Daniel Day-Lewis. I was never a big fan of his work. I thought he was probably a pretty good actor. He often looks crazy and disheveled at award shows and in public. I saw bits and pieces of "Gangs of NY" and his roll was kinda cheesy. I never saw "Last of the Mohicans" but I heard that it was good. Beeps likes him in "The Crucible." But that's all I know. However, after seeing his performance in "There Will Be Blood" I'm not sure I will ever see a finer actor.

If you don't know the story, it takes place in the southwest at the turn of the century. Day-Lewis plays oil tycoon Daniel Plainview, who is slowly taken over by greed and mental illness. There is also a parallel story about a young evangelist preacher and his own greedy path to righteousness. But the preacher story almost doesn't matter based on Day-Lewis' performance. This movie truly was a character study on Plainview and there may as well have been no other characters in the film. Plainview had probably 95% of the lines in the film and he delivered them with such realism and precision. And in the moments where he did not speak (There were no words spoken in probably the first 20 minutes of the film) you could read his body language like he was screaming it from a rooftop.

At moments in the story you care so deeply for Day-Lewis' character while knowing full well that you are unaware of his true intentions. You finally get your answers at the very end when everything is revealed in a fire storm of rage, drool, and blood.

Drool you ask? Yes, this is what actually convinced me that Day-Lewis is the finest actor EVER. Did you hear me? EVER! Once you see it you will know what I mean. I am 100% sure that he will win this year's Oscar based on his performance in this film.

Be sure to catch it before the Academy Awards show (assuming there is one). And you can thank me later.