The sprawling, dark epic hinges on atmospherics and the moody air. It's heightened further by the ominous music, especially in the long, wordless opening sequence set in the mines with man pitted against nature.

Day-Lewis's performance will simply have you like a fever you can't shift. The landscapes are hard and big, but he scathes through them as if they were no more than your Uncle Stan's allotment.

In a way, there's not a step you haven't seen in classics going as far back as Citizen Kane. Still, there are enough oddities in the details to keep you full of questions.

"Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood is a horrifying look at the eternal conflict between power, religion, and ambition."