There Will Be Blood (2007)

Last updated:
September 2, 2025

Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood is not just a movie; it’s a towering piece of cinema that mixes greed, religion, family, and power into a story that feels both epic and disturbingly intimate. Loosely based on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil!, it follows the rise (and descent) of a ruthless oilman in early 20th-century America.

Table of Contents

Detailed Summary

Opening: Silence and the Earth

The film begins without dialogue for nearly 15 minutes, showing Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) digging for silver in 1898. He is injured, but survives, and later transitions into oil drilling. This wordless opening already establishes Daniel’s brutal determination and foreshadows the destructive ambition that will define him.

Entering the Oil Business

Daniel adopts a young boy, H.W., after the boy’s father dies in a drilling accident. Daniel presents H.W. as his “business partner” to families and investors, using him as a tool to make himself appear trustworthy. Their relationship is central to the story: part father-son, part manipulation, part genuine affection.

The Sunday Family and Little Boston

A young man, Paul Sunday, tips off Daniel about oil-rich land in California. Daniel buys land from the Sunday family and begins drilling in the town of Little Boston. Here he meets Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), Paul’s twin brother, a fiery young preacher with his own ambitions. This sparks one of the movie’s central conflicts: the battle between Daniel’s capitalism and Eli’s religion.

The Rise of Plainview

Daniel builds his oil empire, making promises to the townsfolk of schools and prosperity, though his real motive is always self-enrichment. He clashes with Eli over money and control. Eli demands Daniel publicly acknowledge the church and donate to it; Daniel resists, but occasionally relents to keep the peace.

Tragedy Strikes H.W.

During a drilling accident, a massive oil gusher erupts. The moment is spectacular, but the explosion causes H.W. to lose his hearing. Daniel sends H.W. away to a school for the deaf, deepening the emotional chasm between them. His treatment of H.W. shows Daniel’s inability to balance love with his relentless ambition.

The Brother’s Arrival

A man named Henry claims to be Daniel’s half-brother. Daniel accepts him into his business, finding comfort in having family around. Later, Daniel realizes Henry is an impostor and kills him in cold blood. This moment signals Daniel’s moral collapse—his empire grows, but his humanity evaporates.

Movie Ending

The final act jumps forward to the 1920s. Daniel is now a wealthy but isolated man, living alone in his sprawling mansion, surrounded by empty liquor bottles. H.W., now grown, visits him and tells him he is leaving to start his own oil business in Mexico. Daniel reacts with cruelty, calling H.W. “a bastard in a basket,” revealing he only ever saw him as a tool rather than a true son. This confrontation severs their bond for good.

Shortly after, Eli Sunday comes to Daniel, now desperate for money. He offers to sell Daniel land for oil drilling. Daniel humiliates Eli, forcing him to denounce his faith and scream “I am a false prophet and God is a superstition.” Then, in a shocking turn, Daniel bludgeons Eli to death with a bowling pin inside his private bowling alley.

The film closes with Daniel sitting beside Eli’s body. When his butler enters, Daniel simply says: “I’m finished.” Fade to black. It’s an ending of both finality and ambiguity—Daniel has achieved everything materially, but he’s consumed by loneliness, madness, and violence.

Are There Post-Credits Scenes?

No. There Will Be Blood ends with the infamous “I’m finished” line, and there are no mid-credits or post-credits scenes. The ending itself is so definitive that adding more would almost feel redundant.

Type of Movie

This is a historical drama and character study, deeply rooted in themes of capitalism, religion, greed, and obsession. While it borrows the scope of an epic, it plays out like a psychological descent into madness.

Cast

Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview
Paul Dano as Eli Sunday / Paul Sunday
Dillon Freasier as H.W. Plainview
Ciarán Hinds as Fletcher Hamilton
Kevin J. O’Connor as Henry Brands

Film Music and Composer

The score was composed by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. His avant-garde, unsettling compositions elevate the film, using strings and percussion in ways that often sound chaotic or alien. The music contributes heavily to the oppressive and eerie atmosphere.

Filming Locations

The movie was primarily filmed in Marfa, Texas, chosen for its wide desert landscapes that matched the early oil boom setting. Some parts were filmed in California, reflecting the film’s historical ties to the state’s oil history. The desolate landscapes underscore Daniel’s isolation and relentless pursuit of drilling.

Awards and Nominations

Academy Awards: Won 2 Oscars (Best Actor – Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Cinematography – Robert Elswit). Nominated for 6 others, including Best Picture.
BAFTA Awards: Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis).
Golden Globes: Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor.

Behind the Scenes Insights

Daniel Day-Lewis stayed in character throughout filming, maintaining Daniel Plainview’s voice even off-camera.
Paul Thomas Anderson was heavily inspired by John Huston’s Treasure of the Sierra Madre, even directing Day-Lewis to model parts of his performance after Huston’s cadence.
Originally, Paul Dano was only cast as Paul Sunday, but after the original Eli actor dropped out, Dano played both brothers—only with a few days to prepare.
The oil derrick explosion sequence was so massive that it delayed filming of No Country for Old Men (filming nearby) because of the smoke.

Inspirations and References

Loosely adapted from Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil!, though the film only borrows elements rather than sticking closely to the plot.
The religious conflicts echo real-life evangelical movements in early 20th-century America.
Anderson drew cinematic inspiration from films like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and Citizen Kane (1941).

Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes

There are no official alternate endings. Anderson has said the “I’m finished” conclusion was always planned. Some dialogue scenes were trimmed for pacing, but nothing that would have drastically changed the story.

Book Adaptations and Differences

In Sinclair’s Oil!, the protagonist is more of a sympathetic figure and the story has a stronger political critique of capitalism.
Anderson focused less on political critique and more on psychological character study, making Daniel Plainview far darker than Sinclair’s character.

Memorable Scenes and Quotes

Key Scenes

The nearly wordless 15-minute opening.
The oil well explosion that permanently deafens H.W.
Daniel’s mock baptism in Eli’s church, where he shouts “I’ve abandoned my child!”
The bowling alley finale with Eli’s brutal death.

Iconic Quotes

Daniel Plainview: “I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!”
Daniel Plainview: “I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed.”
Daniel Plainview: “I’m finished.”

Easter Eggs and Hidden Details

The film mirrors Citizen Kane in its structure: a powerful man’s rise and lonely downfall.
The milkshake metaphor Daniel uses is based on a real-life U.S. Senate speech about oil drainage.
Jonny Greenwood’s score occasionally borrows motifs from 20th-century avant-garde composers like Arvo Pärt and Krzysztof Penderecki.

Trivia

Daniel Day-Lewis won his second Oscar for this role.
Paul Dano filmed the baptism scene in one take, enduring real slaps from Day-Lewis.
PTA wrote the script while listening to Jonny Greenwood’s music, which later influenced him to ask Greenwood to score the film.

Why Watch?

Because it’s one of the greatest films of the 21st century. It combines powerhouse acting, haunting music, and unforgettable cinematography. If you like movies that get under your skin, showing both the grandeur and the horror of human ambition, There Will Be Blood is essential viewing.

There Will Be Blood (2007)