There Will Be Blood is a film that, very quickly, became part of the pantheon of modern classics. It has boosted the career of Paul Thomas Anderson from wunderkind to the throne of Serious Filmmaker and given further proof to Daniel Day-Lewis's sheer brilliance as an actor.

The anticipation surrounding its release on DVD is nothing compared to that which greeted its appearance in theaters, but everyone that I know who went to see it on the big screen had already decided after the first 10 or so engrossing, dialog free minutes that they wanted to own this movie when it became available for home viewing.

And why not? This is a film to be pored over, shot-by-shot, so as to drink in every bit of Robert Elswit's breathtaking cinematography and the splendid set pieces that Anderson peppers his magnum opus with - the harrowing natural gas explosion that results in a tower of flames and ruining the hearing of young H.W. Plainview, the baptismal standoff between Daniel Planview and Eli Sunday, the shocking yet perfect ending.
Multiple screenings also bring out the nuances of Day-Lewis's performance as the monomaniacal oil baron Plainview. The Oscar clip-worthy, scenery chewing moments are plentiful - and make sense given the character's rapacious greed - but those subtle moments that surround them are the ones to look out for, deepening Plainview in unexpected and chilling ways. The other actors in the movie should not be ignored either, from Paul Dano's brilliant evocation of a young desperate preacher to young Dylan Freasier as the wide-eyed H.W.

One actor that got lost in the wake of the awards handed out to Day-Lewis by the truckload - and was often overlooked in reviews of the film - is actor Kevin J. O'Connor, who plays Daniel's long-lost brother. Watching the film a few times allows his perceptive acting to truly come to light, as he creates a character that haunts the rest of the film.

But, truly, the star of this film is Anderson. Over the course of his first four movies, he established himself as a one-of-a-kind director, filled to overflowing with original ideas and integrity. But nothing he has done up to this point could have prepared the world for his bravura work on There Will Be Blood. Each scene bristles with energy and a tension that doesn't let up until that final devastating line. Its a master class in pure filmmaking and one that anyone that dare calls him or herself a fan of film should sign up for immediately.