Daniel Day-Lewis (right) plays a ruthless oilman to perfection in "There Will Be Blood.". (Photo provided by Paramount Pictures)

Day-Lewis gives the performance of his career

Someday we're probably going to look back at "There Will Be Blood," Paul Thomas Anderson's epic about greed, lies, manipulation and insanity, and call it his masterpiece.

Which is incredible because, except for the inescapable intensity, it's nothing like his previous films. If Anderson's name weren't on it, you'd never know it was his.

Gone are the film-school tricks he made his name with in "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia" (and this critic loved those movies). Anderson has moved out of contemporary Los Angeles and away from the histrionics of the carefully orchestrated ensembles he set there. He now seems more interested in storytelling and character development.

What a character he's created in Daniel Plainview -- and what a performance he's gotten out of Daniel Day-Lewis.

As a turn-of-the-century oilman, Day-Lewis gives one of the more terrifying turns of his long and eclectic career. He just completely dominates. He can be charming and cruel in the same breath, and he says and does whatever he must to get his way.

That includes taking over a chunk of the central California coast and building a town there so that he can drill. A one-time silver miner, Plainview accidentally finds gold one day and sets his sights higher.

"I hate most people," Plainview eventually confesses in a rare moment of introspection. The only one he connects with is his young son, H.W. (confident newcomer Dillon Freasier), who travels with him from town to town and tries to soften up the locals to get them to sell their land.

One person in Plainview's latest target of Little Boston who sees right through his tactics is the fresh-faced, seemingly innocent preacher, Eli Sunday, played with unexpected volatility by Paul Dano ("Little Miss Sunshine"). Eli comes off as soft-voiced, pious and ingratiating.

But once Eli is on a roll, preaching in the town's crowded, makeshift church, he turns into a wildly charismatic evangelist -- and Plainview knows he's met his match. They hate each other instantly; both recognize they're two sides of the same coin.

One quibble: "There Will Be Blood" feels a bit too long, though it is shorter than Anderson's magnum opus "Magnolia," which ran just over three hours. Nevertheless, at the end you may have a hard time getting out of your seat. It'll knock you out.

But please do take the time to see it on the big screen. It's worth the emotional investment. "There Will Be Blood" is one of those movies that will stick with you and change your mood for days.

- By Christy Lemire / Associated Press

There Will Be Blood

Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Dillon Freasier, Paul Dano.
Running time: 158 minutes.
Rating: R; some violence.