365 Days. 365 Films.

Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Daniel Plainview, an oil prospector rising to the top of his career through the ages. The story begins in the late 1800s as Plainview single handedly begins his hunt for riches until a couple of years later, his friend joins him. Filled with greed after stumbling upon some oil, Plainview murders his friend and gets away with the money, but filled with guilt he also takes ownership of his friend’s son.

The character of Daniel Plainview has been scripted beautifully and so well thought out. He is greedy, selfish yet charming and witty and wonderfully complex. Daniel Day-Lewis does do a great job in this role with a performance initially resembling some of Sean Connery’s better work, but before too long it becomes clear that the character is his, and his alone. With his rise to fame and fortune comes his inevitable downfall and Day-Lewis manages to maintain a strong emotional bond with the audience throughout his character’s mental breakdown and distanciation is never suffered through his weaker moments.

I think one actor who really stood out in this film is Paul Dano playing the part of Eli, a religious young boy who tips off Plainview for a load of oil in his town. His performance through every aspect and emotion of his character is completely flawless and believable and it’s a wonder he never received an Oscar for this.

Besides the stunning performances, the cinematography is also something to behold. Each and every technical and creative application has been well thought out to add to the tension or emotions of the audience as well as the plot and, all in all, the combination of a great plot, brilliantly written characters, stunning visuals and unbelievable talent make this film one to watch!