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And like Coppola's Godfather trilogy, Blood echoes that director's style, and its culmination is reminiscent of General Kurtz's moment of self-realization at the end of Apocalypse Now. Where Kurtz gasped "The horror!" in comprehending his depravity, Plainview makes an ecstatic announcement—a mocking distortion of Christ's own "last words." And by way of bitter irony, he's telling the truth.

There Will Be Blood may as well have been called Heart of Darkness.

Talk About It

1. Does oil strike you as a metaphor in this film? What might it represent? Talk about scenes in which oil suggests something more than itself. What about the biblical names of the characters; any significance?
2. What can you discern about Daniel Plainview's personal history? What do we know about his family? Do you suspect anything beyond the details given in the film?
3. Discuss H.W.'s final scene. What do you think his future will be like? Will he be like his father, or different? Why do you think so?
4. What do you think of Mary Sunday? Discuss how Plainview responds to her. Does she really reach him at all with her kindness, or is he just pretending to care for her?
5. Talk about the similarities and differences of Plainview and Sunday. What motivates them? Are they both dishonest?
6. Talk about their final confrontation. What do we learn about Sunday in that scene? Why does Plainview give Sunday such cruel instructions? Why do you suppose the scene is set in a private bowling alley?

The Family Corner

There Will Be Blood is rated R for violence, but the film is a horrifying portrait of human evil. There is accidental violence, deliberate violence, verbal abuse, and scenes in which children are severely injured and abandoned. Its portrayal of a misguided church might mislead viewers who would jump to unfair conclusions about the faith that the church claims to uphold. This film is for discerning adults only.

Photos © Copyright Paramount Vantage

© Jeffrey Overstreet subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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