Nietzsche doesn’t sit well with movies. Cinema likes happier philosophers. Der Wille zur Mach, or “the will to power” isn’t a popular notion when writing movie heroes. Audiences don’t generally want men of will. We like men of the people, friendly guys. What will distress most people about There Will Be Blood isn’t the violence, it’s the egotism. Daniel Day-Lewis plays an anti-hero like no other (save Scarface); a man driven to succeed not by greed, or ambition, but by will. It is a performance, and a movie, that takes a singular approach to tragedy. Because Daniel Plainview isn’t flawed. He is perfect. He is the apotheosis of godlessness; a man possessed by his self.
There Will Be Blood – A Review
March 1, 2008
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American Film, Film Reviews | Tagged: Daniel Day-Lewis, godlessness, Nietzsche, zoo keeper | 
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Posted by jtatham
