Two men stare at a billowing fire while other men carry out orders.

There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood (2007) explores a different side of California than Paul Thomas Anderson’s other works set in his home state. Combining themes of family, religion, and capitalist drive and its inevitable corrosion, There Will Be Blood may be Anderson’s darkest film yet.

Set during the oil rush of the early 19th century, silver-miner-turned-oil-prospector Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) finds success at the Sunday Ranch up in Little Boston, a small fictional town in Northern California where oil sits on the ground. It is at the Sunday Ranch where the central tension of the film is introduced as Plainview clashes with the ranch owner’s extremely devout son, Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), founder of The Church of the Third Revelation. A larger-than-life film becomes grounded in the tenuous relationship between Daniel and Eli, two men who appear on opposite sides, but may be more similar than either would like to believe.

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Title screen reading
Establishing shot of hills
Man uses pickaxe at rock
Man looks intently at rock
Man sits in front of fire
Man sits in front of fire, text reading
Man uses tool to move rock
A stick of dynamite
A man places dynamite in rocks
A man with a rifle on his back tugs on a pulley to lift something out of a mine
Man walks back as explosion occurs
Man walks down ladder into hole
Ladder breaks, man falls
Man gasps in pain
Man pulls himself up ladder
Man drags himself across sand and rocks
Hills
Man places stones into cup
Man lays on the floor with rifle next to him
Top of document, text reads
Man signs his name , texts reads
A group of me work on a wooden structure
Men work in oil pit
Man takes deep breathe in oil pit
Man holds baby
Man wearing hat looks down
Man draws diagram of oil rig
Men work with wooden structures
Man looks up at wooden structure
Man pulls levee on wooden structure
Man falls while pulling wooden structure
Two men look down into oil pit
A spear in a pit of oil
Man looks down
Man looks down
Man climbs down ladder
A group of men watch man in a pit
Man with face covering looks at spear
Man lifts hand covered in oil
Man places baby in box
Two men pull spear from pit
Man pours oil into puddle
Man pours oil into puddle while holding baby
Man puts oil on baby's forehead
Two men in oil pit look up
Wooden structure
Piece of wood falls into oil pit
Man's lifeless body covered in oil
Man's eye, the rest of his face is obscured by oil
Stoic looking man covered in blood and oil
Baby crying
Man and baby sit, man drinks whiskey and holds a bottle of milk
Man pours whiskey into milk bottle
Man gives milk to baby
Man holds baby, looks at him
Man and baby sit on train, baby looks up at man
Baby grabs man's face
Man looks stoically
Man speaks as others listen intently
Man points to boy standing behind him
Boy looks unsure behind man
Close-up of man's face
Man sits in chair, a group stands around him
Man sits in chair, a group stands around him, text reading
Man looks to men on the side
Man exits as other man speaks to him
Man speaks to man while surrounded by group of people
Man and boy walk away
Man and boy sit at table
Man and woman sit on opposite side of table
Group of four sit at table, a young girl sits on the floor behind them
Man in wooden structure
Man walks into room
Man looks at other man enter room
Three men sit at table
Man looks at man offscreen
Man looks at man offscreen smugly
Man speaks to man across table
Man looks at man speaking
Man looks at man offscreen, boy sits behind him
Man looks at boy behind him
Man holds money in front of face
Man stares at man offscreen
Three men and boy look at map on table
Men face away from the map, one turns his back to table completely
Man speaks to other man in front of table
Empty train tracks
A carriage drives down an empty road
A carriage drives toward camera
A man and boy walk through desert
A man and boy walk through desert
A girl runs outside a ranch house
A man approaches another man
A family waits outside ranch house, man and boy approach
Two men shake hands as boy watches
A little girl hands boy milk
Man watches boy set up, man approaches behind them
Two men shake hands as boy watches
Two men talk as boy watches
Man looks at boy
Man and boy point guns into distance
Boy shoots gun as man watches
Boy points gun
Boy lifts up foot with oil on sock
Man and boy in wilderness
Man dips stick into small pool of oil
Man has boy smell stick covered in oil
Man lights stick with oil on fire, boy watches
Man grabs boy on the shoulder, the two smile
Man and boy climb hill
Man and boy on top of hill
Man and boy sit together
Boy looks up at man
A group sits and stands around the dinner table
Three men and a boy sit at the table
Man speaks to other men, boy sits back
Man stares at man offscreen
Man stares back at man
Boy looks up
Older man speaks
Man speaks
Two men and boy hold hands in prayer
Man looks down
Man looks down
A man opens a door.
A man stands in front of another man's desk.
Two men stand over a map spread over a desk.
Two men stare at each other as the speak.
Two people ride in an old-fashioned car.
A small train station as a train approaches.
A train approaching a station with dark grey smoke billowing behind it.
A man talks on the phone.
A man exits a train.
A man shakes the hand of another man as a boy and a group of people stand nearby.
Two men talk next to a train.
Two men talk next to a train.
A boy looks up at men talking.
A man scratches the head of a boy.
Two men in a California desert.
A man uses a tall measuring tool in a desert.
A man adjusts a wooden tool in a desert.
A boy and girl walk around outside.
A boy and girl walking near some goats.
A girl looks up.
A boy looks at a girl offscreen.
A boy speaks to his father in the glow of a campfire.
A father looks at his son.
A man walks through a doorway.
A man stands inside a building next to train tracks.
A large group of people gather in a meeting hall.
A man speaks to a group of people as a man stands behind him.
A group of men hop off a train.
A group of men walk away from a train.
Men drive away from the train in one car and two horse-drawn carts.
A California desert.
A camp set up for oil drillers.
A man looks down.
A desert oil field.
A group of men carry a heavy pipe.
A man carries a pipe.
A man adds wood planks to the roof of a structure.
A group of faces stare at a man offscreen.
A man speaks to a group of people.
A man stands to speak from a crowd.
A boy takes apart wooden slats.
Men unload furniture from a cart.
A boy carries items from a cart.
A shot of a boy fades to a wooden home.
A Western home.
A group of people walk in a desert.
A man looks out of a mesh-covered window.
A man looks out of a mesh-covered window.
Men walking down a staircase are greeted by a religious group at the bottom.
A woman pins a cross to a man's shirt.
A man looks down.
A man walks away from a religious group.
A man walks toward a makeshift tent village.
A man walks up wooden steps.
A man speaks to two men sitting at a desk.
A man looks up at another man speaking to him.
A man sits to speak to another man.
A man watches as another man stands from a desk.
A man descends a staircase to a large group of people waiting below.
A man takes the hand of a girl, pulling her from the front of a crowd.
A man stands before a crowd, with a young boy and girl on either side of him.
A man stands at the front of a crowd.
A man turns behind him to watch his son ascend a staircase.
A boy pulls the lever of an oil drilling machine.
A man kisses the forehead of a young girl.
A man walks up a staircase as a group of crowd turns to leave.
A large wooden machine.
A group of men stand on a wooden oil drilling structure.
A wooden tower.
A group of people sit eating at tables outdoors as children run around them.
A girl runs around a table.
A man stops a girl from running.
A man talks to a girl.
A man stares angrily at another man.
A man lays on his stomach on the floor.
A man tries to shake another man awake as a lantern sits beside them.
A drunk man lays face up, talking with his eyes closed.
A man scrapes mud off of a pipe in an oil well.
A pair of hands unscrews a pipe.
A man blows out smoke from his cigarette while looking up.
A man holding a pipe leans to grab a chain while another man helps hold the pipe.
A pipe breaks and falls down a hole.
A pipe falls down a shaft, hitting a man on the head.
Two men move wood out of the way to look down a shaft.
A man's muddy and bloody body is pulled from a shaft.
A man walks up steps.
A man looks down at a dead body offscreen.
A man speaks to his crew.
A box of personal items.
A man looks down sadly.
A man hands a paper cross to another man while they sit in a tent.
A man walks across a desert.
A man takes off his hat as he enters a church.
A priest holds an old woman's hand in his own and up to his face.
A priest casts out a ghost from his church.
A priest extends his arms out as he walks back into his church.
A man stares angrily out in front of him as a man comes up behind him.
A priest dances with an old woman in their church.
A priest shakes the hands of members of his congregation.
Two men speak to each other.
A man speaks to another man walking away from him.
A shot of a man fades to a shot of a desert camp.
A group pf workers walk across their camp.
An oil field.
A man sitting on a porch shields his eyes from the sun.
A man looks through a telescope to a building far away.
A priest pretends to give a sermon as workers renovate the church.
Two men stand on a wooden structure.
A boy lays on an elevated, slanted surface of a wooden structure, peering over the edge.
A man sits at a table looking over some papers.
A boy lays on an elevated, slanted surface of a wooden structure, peering over the edge.
A man holding a rope peers down into a hole.
A rope slips out of a man's hands as he shouts.
Air shoots out of a hole, spraying wood and mud into the air.
A boy is shot backwards into the air by a burst of air.
A boy laying on his side covers his ears in pain.
A man runs out of a building yelling.
A man runs across a field.
A man runs toward a wooden structure which is shooting water.
A man runs quickly, pointing his finger and ordering commands to other men he passes.
Oil shoots up into the sky from beneath a wooden tower.
A man climbs the side of a building to reach a boy laying injured on its roof.
A man runs up the stairs of a wooden structure.
A man tries to roll over and pick up an injured boy as oil rains down on them.
A man checks on an injured boy.
A man lowers a boy into the arms of another man from the top of a roof.
A man carries his injured son.
A man runs while carrying his injured son.
A man lays his son down on a table, leaning down to hug him and cradle his head.
A boy covered in oil frantically speaks to his father.
A man leans over his injured son, covered in oil.
A fire breaks out in a wooden structure.
Men inside a building tend to an injured boy as a fire rages from a structure outside the window.
A man holds down an injured boy to a table.
A group of men rush to a burning oil rig.
A man knocks a stake out of the ground with a hammer.
A man swings at a stake in the ground while another man comes up behind him.
a wooden structure on fire at night.
a wooden structure on fire at night.
A man stares up at a billowing fire as another man shouts orders at men behind him.
Two men stare at a billowing fire while other men carry out orders.
An oil-covered boy stares out a window to a fire offscreen as a man stands protectively next to him.
Two men stand before a smoky fire.
A man stares at the fire, its glow barely illuminating his face.
Two men look up at a billowing fire.
A man's oil-covered face.
A pair of hands pull sticks of dynamite out of a wooden box.
Bundles of dynamite in a tin barrel.
A man sitting before a burning structure raises his arms to give a signal.
A wooden structure is blown up as men with shields run away.
A man covered in dirt and oil smokes a pipe.
A man holds and comforts his son as they lay on the floor.
A shot of a father and son fades to black.
A boy wrestles his dad who holds his face down while a doctor holds out a tool.
A doctor looks in a boy's ear with a special tool.
A boy struggles to escape his father's arms.
A man looks down in sadness at a boy and his father.
A shot of a boy and his father lying on a bed fades to a shot of people walking through the desert.
A group of people walk and ride through the desert.
A horse-drawn cart approaches a desert town.
A man works on a wooden structure.
A rope moves up and down on a wooden structure.
A man enters his home.
A boy lying in bed looks up at his father.
A man tries to talk to his son who is deaf.
A man looks down as he sits in a chair.
A man looks over a piece of paper given to him by another man.
A pipeline spilling oil into a large hole.
A man walks toward a group of men.
A man walks briskly.
A man walks briskly.
A group of men stand in a desert.
A man looks at another man who approaches him.
A man slaps another man.
A man slaps another man again.
A man yells at another man on the ground.
A man drags another man through the desert.
A man wrestles another man in oily mud.
A man stands over a man lying in the mud.
A man walks away from another man lying in the mud.
A shot of men in the desert fades to a shot of a man sitting at the dinner table.
A man chews his dinner.
A man looks angrily at his father on the opposite head of the dinner table as his mother and sisters sit on either side.
A man speaks tearfully to his father.
A father speaks to his son.
A man climbs atop the dinner table, lunging or his father.
A man tackles his father to the ground, an overturned chair lying next to them.
A train door opens for men to load tin barrels.
A man walks amongst a large group.
A man approaches a home, where a man sits on the stoop.
A man stands from the stoop he was sitting on to greet the home's owner.
Two men speak to each other.
A man looks down at a letter another man gave him.
A man squints at another man sitting across from him.
Two men and a boy sit at a small dining table.
A man and his son stare at another man seated at their dining table.
A man eats from a bowl.
A boy looks at a man seated across him.
A man pours alcohol into a glass of milk.
A man aids his son in bringing a spiked glass of milk to his lips.
A man forces his son to drink spiked milk.
A man tucks his son into bed even though it is still light out.
Two men stand outside the house smoking cigarettes.
A boy pulls out a man's duffle bag.
A boy rifles through a man's duffle bag.
A boy discovers a journal.
Writing in a journal.
A portrait of a woman.
A boy looks at a woman's portrait.
An ad for a rifle.
A man stares ahead of him.
A man turns to speak to a man next to him.
A man turns to speak to a man next to him.
A man looks down as he speaks.
A boy lights a match in the dark.
A boy throws a lighted match onto the floor, illuminating the room.
A room goes up in flames as a man sits up in bed.
A man wakes another man from bed as their room erupts in flames.
A man tries to snuff out the flames of a fire with a piece of cloth.
A boy stands in a door frame staring at the flames.
A man chases after his son in the dark desert.
A man carries his kicking son back to their house.
A man sits with his son on a train.
A man gets up and leaves his son staring out a train window.
A man exits a train, switching places with his friend.
A man sadly walks away from a train about to depart.
A boy looks out a train window to see his father leave him.
A man walks away from a train leaving the station; his son trying to escape while still onboard and being held back by a man.
A shot of a man getting into his car fades into the shot of two men walking.
Three men shake hands
Four men sit at a table
Men talk at table
Men talk at table
Man looks intently
Man stares offscreen
Man stands up intimidatingly, men sitting down watch
Man looks up and man standing before him
Two men exit a room
Men sit over table and look at map
Man walks up to men at table
Two men speak outside
Men ride on horses in the distance
Man approaches boy standing in door
Boy stands in doorway
Man talks to boy in doorway
Boy stands in doorway, looks at man offscreen
Man rides off on horse
Man holds shovel
Two men ride horses in a field of grass
Full shot of a forest
Man sets up measuring tool
Man walks with yard stick
Man smoking cigarette holds up hand
Man holds up yard stick
Man squints in front of measuring tool
Man looks up
Man and horse in field of grass
Man holds measuring tool
Man places yard stick in field
Man walks holding measuring tool equipment
Man walks toward other man
Two men go downhill of dead grass
Men go down hill on horseback, measuring stick left behind
Men ride on horseback
Men go downhill
Man stands on map on top of table, as men sitting watch
Men share a toast
man speaks to group
Man in body of water
Man's head above ocean wave
Man in ocean yelling
man swimming in ocean, all but head submerged
Man's legs swimming in ocean
Man squints in the sun and looks toward horizon
Man rests head on arms and knees
Man looks toward horizon
Man speaks to other man
two men sit on the beach with their hands on their knees
Man sits on beach elbows and head on knees
Man sitting on beach looks toward horizon
Man swimming looks toward beach
Man's hand in water
Man stares offscreen
Man speaks to other man
Man sleeping in the dark
Man holds gun toward man below him
Man lays down with gun pointed at him
Man speaks to an below him
Man looks scared
Man looks crazed
Man holds other man's face down and holds gun to head
Man digs hole by the fire
Overhead of man digging hole
Man with shovel in the air
Man digs hole
Man drags body into hole
Dead body in hole
Text reading
Man looks through journal while laying down
Man's hand holding baby photo
Man cries
Man drinks by the fire
Man sits by a dying fire
Man with gun and an entourage of horses sit in front of sleeping man
Man looks at man in front of him
Man looks down at man laying down
Man speaks to man offscreen
Man holds out gun to other man
Three men sit with horses
A preacher speaks intently to his congregation.
A preacher stands in front of a cross-shaped window.
Two men sit in a pew of a packed church.
A man stands from a church pew raising his hand.
A man places his hand on another man's shoulder.
A man stands with a preacher before a church's congregation.
A man kneels beside a preacher who holds his head up.
A kneeling man looks up to another man standing beside him.
A preacher speaks to God in an exaggerated manner.
A man looks angrily at a preacher offscreen.
A man shouts passionately in front of a church's congregation.
A preacher slaps a man kneeling in front of him.
A preacher strains his face as he yells passionately.
A preacher grabs the head of a man kneeling in front of him and jostles him around.
A preacher hurdles an invisible spirit out of his church.
A man is baptized with water.
A man drenched with water looks out at a church's congregation.
A man shakes a preacher's hand as another man stands off to the side.
A church's congregation touches a man who has just been baptized.
A woman hugs a man who has just been baptized.
A man places a hand on another man seated in a church beside him.
A young girl comes up behind a seated man to hug him.
A group of men lay down a pipe.
A car stops in a field and a man hugs his son.
A man kneels, hugging his son.
A boy slaps his son.
A man holds out his hand, signaling
A man and his son sit in a restaurant.
A man and his son sit in a restaurant.
A man kisses the side of his son's face.
A boy looks at his father.
A group of men enter a restaurant.
A man shakes the hand of another man.
A man shakes the hand of a boy.
An annoyed man stares at another man.
The interior of a restaurant.
A man sips his drink and holds up a hand to stop a waiter approaching his table.
A man speaks with a white napkin covering his head.
A group of men talk around a table.
A man confronts another man.
A boy looks at his father to the side of him.
A man leans down angrily.
A man kisses his son's cheek.
A boy stares straight ahead of him.
Two men shake hands standing next to a train.
A man stares at another man out of a window.
A man smiles at another man through a window.
Two men sit in a dark room, one lighting a cigarette.
Two men sit in a train station looking out the window to a train.
A man looks down in a dark room.
A bright light shines through a window as a man sits and looks out it.
A deaf boy and his interpreter sit on some stairs and sign to each other.
A deaf boy and his interpreter sign to each other as a girl mimics their gestures.
A girl looks to a boy offscreen.
A boy and girl sit together on a church pew staring at each other.
A boy and girl take turns jumping off a platform.
A woman in a white dress uses sign language.
A bride uses sign language.
A groom stares at his bride offscreen.
A couple gets married in a church. The year
A large house tucked behind some trees.
A two lane bowling alley.
A person shoots bullets at a pile of furniture at the opposite end of a foyer.
A man looks through a tool to the opposite end of a house's foyer.
A man signs his name on a document which reads
A man sits at a kitchen table after signing a document with another man hovering next to him.
A man sips a cup of tea with a smoking cigarette in hand.
Two men walk into a foyer as a dog laying on the floor perks up.
A man sits at his desk in a darkened study.
Two men approach another man at his desk.
A man smokes a cigarette as he sits at his desk with two men standing across from him.
A man tugs on his ear.
A man looks up as he smokes a cigarette.
Three men sit around a desk in a dark study.
A man looks down.
A man looks at another man using sign language.
A man uses sign language to communicate with his deaf son.
Three men sit around a desk in a dark study.
A man angrily gestures at his deaf son's interpreter.
A man speaks.
A man speaks angrily.
A man takes a sip from his glass.
Two men leave angrily from another man's study.
Two men button up their jackets as they exit a house.
A man shouts angrily with a cigarette in hand.
A man smiles at his son while sitting around with fellow oil workers.
A man walks toward a large wooden structure.
Incapacitated man trudges down the stairs
Man touches man passed out on the floor
A third man joins duo on the floor
Man bends down to speak to man passed out on floor
Man struggles to get up
Priest walks into side room
Man drinks from flask
Priest looks into bowling alley from side room
Man refuses drink from priest
Man drinks from large bottle of water
Priest looks at man offscreen
Man eats while priest talks to him
Man eating ribs looks at priest
Priest drinks liquor nervously
Priest stands up
Man gestures toward back of bowling alley
Priest with red face speaks
Man points
Priest looks down at man
Man smirks at priest offscreen
Priest starts crying
Man mocks priest offscreen
Priest continues crying
Man speaks to priest sitting down
Man pokes priest's chest
Man points his finger
A man points angrily
A man points in front of priest
Man throws priest on the floor
Man throws bowling ball at priest
Man walks down bowling lane
Man walks toward priest as he tries to escape
Man throws bowling pin onto hidden priest below
Priest tries to escape on all fours
Unconscious priest lays on the floor head down
Man looks down at priest's body
Man lifts bowling pin
Man stands above priest's bloody body
Man sits next to dead priest's body
Man walks down the stairs
Man's face as he looks offscreen
Man sitting on the floor in bowling alley next to dead priest looks back
Man looks toward back of bowling alley
White text that reads