There Will Be Blood is one of the greatest movies of our time. Most people remember it for Daniel Day-Lewis’s brilliant performance as Daniel Plainview, not to mention that famous milkshake meme that was popular for a while thereafter.
But many of its other merits are well worth praising, particularly its gorgeous and expansive cinematography and poetic writing courtesy of Paul Thomas Anderson. The screenplay received numerous nominations - the Academy Awards, BAFTAs, National Society of Film Critics, and the Writers Guild of America all recognized the screenplay and nominated it for their respective Screenplay award. And it’s no surprise, given brilliant lines like these.
I. Drink. Your. Milkshake!
Speaking of the famous milkshake meme, we may as well discuss its origins. This brilliant lines comes in the finale of the movie, when Daniel is fiercely taunting Eli about stealing his oil. He uses the milkshake as a metaphor to explain drainage. Also known as the “rule of capture,” this stipulates that the one who found, or “captured,” the resource (in this case, oil) owns that resource. Even if the oil is underneath another person’s land, it belongs to the one who captured it, and they can freely and lawfully suck your oil through their well. Hence, the milkshake metaphor of using a giant straw to drink (steal) Eli’s milkshake. It’s brilliant, it makes it easy to understand, and it’s hilarious.
You’re Just The Afterbirth, Eli, That Slithered Out Of Your Mother’s Filth
As if being smack talked and taunted by an utterly psychotic Daniel Plainview wasn’t bad enough, Eli was forced to endure this horrible insult. There’s just something inherently disgusting about this quote, and it truly paints a horrid picture of how revolting Daniel finds Eli and his character. It’s a devastating blow to Eli’s confidence, and it nearly destroys the already weak and submissive Eli. And we don’t blame him. That is a real cold thing to say to another human being, no matter their character.
New Roads, Agriculture, Employment, Education: These Are Just A Few Of The Things That We Can Offer You
Daniel’s “I’m an oil man” speech is absolutely brilliant, and this particular line caps it off with wonderful thematic relevance. In this scene, Daniel is attempting to convince the citizens of the area to drill under their land for oil and using a lot of politician speak to get what he wants. He is promising these people a beautiful and prosperous way of life as a purely selfish means to get what he wants. He has no intention of improving this area or the lives of the people in it. He just wants the oil, and he will say and promise anything to get it. It’s a wonderful summation of his slimy and manipulative character.
I Have A Competition In Me. I Want No One Else To Succeed.
This is yet another brilliant example of Daniel’s selfish and greedy qualities. This brief quote wonderfully sums up the entire movie, and especially the very facets of Daniel Plainview. There Will Be Blood is a vicious comment on capitalism, and the ideas and flaws of capitalism are perfectly encapsulated within this brief quote.
Daniel wants money, all the money, and he wants it all to himself. He wants to be number one, he wants to be the richest man in the world, and he wants to hold all the power. It’s not spiritual contentment Daniel is after, but good old fashioned cash and power.
I Don’t Even Know Who You Are Because You Have None Of Me In You
By the end of the film, Daniel has collapsed. He is unimaginably wealthy but living as a recluse in his empty mansion, he’s suffering from alcoholism, possibly enduring some form of psychosis, and he’s on poor terms with his son. When H.W. brings up the prospect of dissolving their prosperous partnership, Daniel mocks H.W. and speaks the above quote. It perfectly wraps up the themes of the movie and suggests a certain irony in Daniel’s words. Maybe it’s a good thing that H.W. has none of Daniel in him. H.W. certainly thinks so.
I Took You For No Other Reason Than I Needed A Sweet Face To Buy Land
The dialogue between Daniel and H.W. is just so good that we had to include another quote. This comes quickly after the previous quote, as Daniel mockingly reveals H.W.’s true origins. Some viewers may have wondered why Daniel took in the orphaned H.W., especially when considering his selfish and greedy personality. It’s all tragically laid bare in this horrible quote, as Daniel reveals that he used a young child simply to advance his own worth and power. It’s a major gut punch, and it solidifies Daniel as one of cinema’s coldest villains.
One Night, I’m Gonna Come To You, Inside Of Your House, Wherever You’re Sleeping, And I’m Going To Cut Your Throat
Now that is something you never want to hear, let alone coming from a man as cold as Daniel Plainview. This vicious quote is spoken to H.M. Tilford after he offers to buy out Daniel. Daniel sees it a slight against his worth and his family, and he threatens to cut Tilford’s throat, directly to his face. It proves just how seriously Daniel takes his profession and his power. When he has no more power, he resorts to vicious insults.
I’d Like You To Tell Me That You Are And Have Been A False Prophet, And That God Is A Superstition
One of the biggest themes behind There Will Be Blood is the battle between greed and religion. These ideals are represented through Daniel and Eli, respectively. However, Daniel sees through Eli, and near the end of the film, he asks him to denounce God and call him a mere superstition.
A lot can be said and analyzed about this quote, and perhaps we’re not the ones to talk on it. We’ll leave that to the academics and literary professors. All we know is that it’s a really great and well written quote, and it’s a perfect summation of Daniel and Eli’s constant philosophical battle.
I Want To Earn Enough Money That I Can Get Away From Everyone
Daniel is typically seen as a representation of greed and avarice, but he’s actually a pretty interesting character in his own right. Something obviously drives his greed, and that something is typically power and wealth for wealth’s sake. But it can also be alienation. Daniel briefly speaks on his motivations, and that motivation seems to be complete alienation from society. He sees “nothing worth liking,” although what specifically would be worth liking to Daniel, we cannot say. It adds a nice bit of depth to Daniel’s character and gives him a bit more nuance and dimension.
I’m Finished
This is perhaps one of the greatest closing lines in cinema history. Like all great pieces of literature, so much can be read into these two words, and so many different themes and interpretations taken from its context. What does Daniel mean when he says he is finished? Is he finished in his pursuit of dismantling religion in the name of greed and capitalism? Is he finished in a moral sense, as he is now philosophically and morally bereft after murdering a preacher? It’s a brilliant line, and we’re still thinking about its connotations.
