First, let me make it perfectly clear that I adore Paul Thomas Anderson. I think he’s a terrific director, and a hot one to boot. I have at least liked all of his features so far (minus Hard Eight, which I still haven’t seen). And the man really has the eyes for actors: they tend to deliver some of their best works in his pictures (e. g. Tom Cruise in Magnolia, Julianne Moore and Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights). Given the length of time since his last picture and the amount of breathless adulation thrown at There Will Be Blood (2007), I came out of it rather puzzled with my lack of feelings. I would normally be awash with emotions coming out of an Anderson picture. Instead, ambivalence marked the end of the film and I was not sure if it was an Anderson picture at all.
My remark was “well, that seemed like a mature film for him.” What I probably meant was “who the hell did that?” and then, “who did Paul Dano think he was?” It was not that Dano did a horrible job. In fact, he was rather brave in taking on an overpowering Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis). Unfortunately, he was no match for Lewis in presence (though, in over-the-top acting, perhaps they were evenly matched when on screen together), and the picture quickly became an overwhelmingly one-sided one-man show.
