While Daniel is searching for a new silver deposit, a dynamite blast reveals a hidden oil field which he purchases and converts into his first well. After a freak accident kills one of his crew, Daniel adopts the crewman's son as his own and sets up a successful oil company. After a few years in business, Daniel receives a tip from a young boy named Paul (Paul Dano) who tells Daniel about an oil deposit near his family's home in Little Boston, California.
Under the guise of a camping trip, Daniel and his son investigate the land and he ends up offering to buy the land from Paul's father, Abel. During the discussion, Paul's brother, Eli (also played by Paul Dano), who knows about the oil under the property, tries to negotiate a better price - money for his church. Daniel agrees and is allowed to begin drilling after making numerous empty promises to the community.
Before the first well is started, Eli asks Daniel if he can bless the derrick. Daniel agrees and then later blesses it himself even though he doesn't believe in God, adding fuel to the already heated rivalry between the two. Just after the first derrick is activated, tragedy strikes as a crew member is killed in an accident and Daniel's son goes deaf after an explosion. Eli is aware of the situation and tells Daniel that it all could have been avoided if he had allowed him to bless the well, sparking an even greater rivalry between the two.
Daniel Day-Lewis won an Academy Award for his role as Daniel and, although I sometimes don't agree with the Academy, this time they got it right. Even though Daniel is the story's "hero", he's not an especially likeable one - which Daniel Day-Lewis pulls the part off with perfection. He isn't the most moral of businessmen and believes people are lazy and ignorant, and doesn't hesitate when it comes to screwing them over to get what he wants. At the same time, he's just likeable enough that it is easy to see why people are easily suckered into his deals.
Although most of the movie is about Daniel's oil career, the bigger story is the rivalry between Daniel and Eli, who becomes an evangelical preacher. Both are on completely opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to faith, yet the two are similar in their beliefs and ambition. Daniel will do or say anything to get richer, just as Eli will do everything he can to make people believe he is some sort of prophet. The friction between the two results in numerous acts of one-ups-manship between the movie that keep the film's plot going even though there isn't a whole lot of action.
Another of the film's Academy Awards was for its cinematography, which really stands out in high-def. Even though most of the movie takes place in the desert, all of the shots look great. Some of the more impressive scenes are when no one talks, leaving it to the acting and visuals to tell the story.
The Blu-ray version includes a familiar cast of extras, including a few "Making of..." features, as well as "The Story of Petroleum", a silent film that shows the oil business in the 1920's and helps to build more context for the movie.
Overall, There Will Be Blood is a fantastic film and worthy of any praise it has received.
