The Big Picture

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 2 - 'There Will Be Blood’

December 26, 2025

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  • 'There Will Be Blood' is positioned as the number two film on the hosts' collective list of the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far, representing the 'PTA' selection for the list. 
  • The film is lauded as a masterpiece exploring themes of greed, ambition, capitalism, and the clash between industry and religion, with Daniel Day-Lewis's performance frequently cited as the greatest of the century. 
  • The discussion highlights the film's complex blend of genres—Western, gothic horror, and comedy—and its thematic connection to American history, particularly in relation to films like *Chinatown* and *Citizen Kane*. 

Segments

Film Placement and PTA Selection
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(00:00:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts confirm ‘There Will Be Blood’ is ranked number two on their 25 Best Movies of the Century list, noting it was the official ‘PTA’ selection.
  • Summary: The film is confirmed as the number two selection, despite one host personally ranking it higher. The hosts acknowledge that many observers correctly predicted this placement. They emphasize that the list is a collective effort, moving beyond strict numerical rankings to focus on ‘vibes’ and pure cinema.
Production Facts and Context
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(00:02:28)
  • Key Takeaway: The film was shot by Robert Elswit with music by Jonny Greenwood, grossing $76 million on a $25 million budget after a five-year gap following PTA’s Punch-Drunk Love.
  • Summary: The movie is based loosely on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil, detailing the rise of an oil baron. Paul Dano originally had a small role but took on the dual roles of Paul and Eli Sunday after another actor was fired, requiring only four days to prepare for the role of Eli. Non-professional actor Dylan Fraser, who played HW, never acted again after this film.
Thematic Analysis: Industry vs. Religion
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(00:04:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The central thematic conflict pits the twin powers of American ideology—money/industry and God/religion—against each other in an over-dramatic clash.
  • Summary: The film is viewed as PTA’s ‘important movie’ tackling capitalism, ambition, and father-son dynamics, cannibalizing previous cinematic legends. It successfully mashes up the grand Western tradition with elements of gothic horror and comedy. The movie’s themes resonate strongly in a post-9/11 context regarding oil and corruption.
Daniel Plainview as the American Character
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(00:12:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Daniel Plainview embodies the unrelenting, encroaching drive often associated with the American character, representing a rageful, murderous cycle fueled by ambition.
  • Summary: The character is seen as the embodiment of the American ideal taught through relentless drive to succeed and encroach upon space. The film is noted as being very male, accurately reflecting the historical setting. The movie avoids explaining Plainview’s origins, refusing to offer a simple trauma flashback to justify his nature.
Emotional Core: Plainview and HW
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(00:15:59)
  • Key Takeaway: Moments of tenderness between Daniel and adopted son HW, such as on the train, establish a foundation of love that is ultimately corrupted and rejected by Plainview’s pursuit of power.
  • Summary: The scene where HW loses his hearing in the oil derrick explosion and subsequently tells his father not to leave is described as crushing, demonstrating where Plainview’s priorities ultimately lie. The scene where Plainview asks about the size of HW’s room after dropping him off at school reveals his inability to let go, expressing concern through the lens of material value (dimensionality).
Daniel Day-Lewis’s Performance
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(00:24:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Daniel Day-Lewis’s Oscar-winning performance is considered by one host to be the absolute pinnacle of 21st-century acting, representing the end of an era for total immersion acting personas.
  • Summary: The performance is seen as looming largest among DDL’s filmography, contrasting with later, lighter roles. The intensity of his commitment on set challenged colleagues, marking a shift before pretension in method acting became widely mocked. The film’s final scene, where Plainview embraces his destructive nature, is the ultimate expression of this character’s arc.
Critical Reception and Oscar Night
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(00:39:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite being nominated for eight Academy Awards, There Will Be Blood only won two (Actor and Cinematography), losing Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay to No Country for Old Men.
  • Summary: The film is recognized as a consensus top-five movie of the century by various polls, including topping Rolling Stone’s list. Manola Dargis’s review noted the film dismantles American success mythologies by engaging with films like Chinatown. The line ‘I drink your milkshake’ is cited as one of the few truly iconic lines of 21st-century cinema, derived from real Teapot Dome scandal testimony.
PTA’s Filmography Comparison
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(00:44:00)
  • Key Takeaway: While There Will Be Blood is the consensus ‘fullest expression of cinema,’ one host personally prefers The Master as the ‘fullest expression of PTA’ due to its greater mystery.
  • Summary: The hosts contrast There Will Be Blood’s thematically straightforward nature with the greater mystery found in The Master. There Will Be Blood is described as a grand treatise, whereas The Master is viewed as a beautiful, more mysterious love story about masculinity and absence. PTA’s later films like One Battle After Another balance the big ideas of There Will Be Blood with more emotional complexity and female characters.