2007: There Will Be Blood (Best of the Noughties Lists and Suggestions #4)

Paul Thomas Anderson made Magnolia and Boogie Nights, two of the great movies of the 1990s, as well as the not-quite-as-good-but-severely-underrated/criminally overlooked Punch-Drunk Love. There Will Be Blood is his shot at teaching Orson Welles a thing or two concerning films about American magnates. On the upside, we have Robert Elswit's beautiful cinematography, some memorable dialogue-driven scenes and a very good performance from Paul Dano as the fanatic preacher Eli Sunday (admittedly the kind of role that makes it easy for a good actor to shine). On the downside, however, the film is too slow in a way that, say, 2001 or Once upon a Time in America aren't, and the fifteen-year break in the narrative about two hours into the 150-minutes-film is a simple flaw rather than some bold artistic scoop. Most importantly, however, we never really get to know the film's main character's character. To paraphrase Steve Sailer's view: It is obvious that There Will Be Blood is made by a superior filmmaker. But. (7/10)