Just as the title promises, "there will be blood"... eventually, but be prepared to wait a painfully long time to see it since it does not emerge until the very end of this extremely slow-paced 3 1/2 hour movie. With only a few main characters, limited action and a lot of long drawn out silences, this movie promises more than just blood, it also promises boredom and longing for the ending to arrive.

It is a dark and in depth look at the life of one man, Daniel Plainview. Once a hard working and strong willed laborer who toiled alone in the deep, dark underground in search of oil. Years later he has become a viciously cruel and selfish man, corrupted by the wealth and power he obtained through the oil business. Fuelled by his constant craving for more power, Plainview can no longer find joy, beauty or happiness in any aspects of his life. Trust is something he can no longer afford, not even for a man of the cloth or the child that he has raised himself. His wealth has made him mad with paranoia, jealousy and rage. Now add a lot of alcohol and the burden of caring for a deaf child and you have the makings of one very angry and unstable character. Not religion, family or love of a child can save Daniel from the dark and evil path of murder, corruption and sin that he has laid out for himself. Everything that Daniel Plainview strived so hard to achieve, that he struggled to build up over the entire spanning of his life, comes crashing down around him in one final act of alcoholic and violent rage.

"There Will Be Blood" is a sad and depressing story. There are false hopes and promises broken, lives destroyed, death and suffering, financial hardships and the corruption and manipulation of lower classes by big business and industries. Even a powerful faith in God and prayer does little if anything to help the characters in this movie. Be prepared for ugliness and misery and do not be expecting a happily ever after for this one.

The musical score was perfect for this film. No cheerful ditties or show tunes, the entire soundtrack is powerfully dark and morbid, much like the entire mood of the movie. Even many of the quotes from Daniel Day-Lewis' character are depressing and cruel, humorous too, yes, but he definitely stays true to the dark atmosphere established from the very first scenes of the movie which are shot underground surrounded by cold, damp tunnels of dirt and rock. Other than the brilliant performance by Daniel Day-Lewis which won him the Oscar for "Best Male Actor", the only other attraction to this film would be to witness the tragic series of events that will unfold to finally bring this spiral of lies, deceit, alcoholism and violence to its shocking end.