Paramount+ original film There Will Be Blood was released December 26th, 2007.
#ThereWillBeBlood cleared $76.1M at the international box office.
rottentomatoes: 91%
metacritic: 93
imdb: 8.2
oscars: 2 wins
golden globes: 1 win
SAG awards: 1 win
Daniel Plainview
Daniel Plainview strikes three successful oil drills in a row outside of Little Boston, California.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
1 win: 2008
Best Actor – Motion Picture – Drama
1 win: 2008
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
1 win: 2008
“No! There she is. There she is. There she is.” — Daniel Plainview
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve traveled over half our state to be here tonight. I couldn’t get away sooner because my new well was coming in at Coyote Hills and I had to see about it. That well is now flowing at 2,000 barrels and it’s paying me an income of $5,000 a week. I have two others drilling and I have 16 producing at Antelope, so, ladies and gentlemen, if I say I am an oil man, you will agree.” — Daniel Plainview
“Now, you have a great chance here, but bear in mind you could lose it all if you’re not careful. Out of all men that beg for a chance to drill your lots, maybe one in 20 will be oilmen. The rest will be speculators, that’s men trying to get between you and the oilmen. To get some of the money that ought by rights come to you. Even if you find one that has money and means to drill he’ll maybe know nothing about drilling. He’ll have to hire the job out on contract, and then you’re depending on a contractor who’ll rush the job through so he can get another contract as quick as he can. This is the way that this works.” — Daniel Plainview
“I do my own drilling. And the men that work for me, work for me, they are men that I know. I make it my business to be there and to see their work. I don’t lose my tools in the hole and spends months fishing for them. I don’t botch the cementing off and let water in the hole and ruin the whole lease. I’m a family man. I run a family business. This is my son and my partner H.W. Plainview. We offer you the bond of family that very few oil men can understand. I’m fixed like no other company in this field and that’s because my Coyote Hills well has just come in. I have a string of tools all ready to put to work. I can load a rig onto trucks and have them here in a week. I have business connections so I can get the lumber for the derrick. Such things go by friendship in a rush like this. And this is why I can guarantee to start drilling and to put up the cash to back my word. I assure you, ladies and gentlemen, no matter what the others promise to do, when it comes to the showdown, they won’t be there.” — Daniel Plainview
“I don’t need the lease. Thank you. Too much confusion. Thank you for your time. I wouldn’t take the lease if you gave it to me as a gift.” — Daniel Plainview
“Mr. Bankside, I’m not gonna waste your time. I’d certainly appreciate it if you didn’t waste mine. Now, if you wish to sign with me, we can have a well drilling within ten days. Your lot is further north from the discovery well up here. That means we’ll probably have to dig deeper. If there’s as much oil here as I think there is, it’ll be harder to reach. But once we find it we can take it right out. We have to act quickly, very soon these fields will be dry. I need you to know what you want to do. Now, because of the distance from the discovery well, I’ll pay you a smaller royalty than you’d get down there, but I’m prepared to give you a $1,000 bonus on your lot. One-sixth, plus a guarantee to start drilling within ten days. Now, that’s something you won’t find anywhere else. What age are your children, ma’am? She died in childbirth, Mrs. Bankside. So it’s just me and my son now.” — Daniel Plainview
“Yes? Yes. What can I do for you? That’s right. Well, that depends. On a lot of things. Oh, I think that you should let me know what you know and then we’ll try and work something out. Please. I uh… I enjoy all faiths. I don’t belong to one church in particular. I like them all. I like everything. Where are you from? What are you doing in Signal Hill? Just ’cause there’s something on the ground doesn’t mean there’s anything beneath it. Is it in California? How much land did they buy? Why did you come to me? That’s right. I’ll tell you what I’ll do, son. I’ll give yo $100 now and if it proves to be a promising lease, then I’ll give you a $1000 bonus. Tell me one thing to help me decide. What else have you got up there? What do you grow?” — Daniel Plainview
“Yes. Here’s $500, son. You tell me something worth hearing, this money’s yours. Where’s Standard buying up? Your family name is Sunday, yes? How many’s in your family? What’s your name? You can stay the night. Listen, Paul. If I travel all the way down there and find out you’ve been lying to me, I’m going to find you and I’m going to take more than my money back. Is that all right with you? All right, then. And to you, young man.” — Daniel Plainview
“Good evening. My name’s Daniel Plainview. This is my son H.W. Hunting for quail. We’re told there might be a good place to camp up near the Sunday ranch. Thank you. Do you have water? We heard there was an earthquake up here a few days ago. Is that right? Your family? That would be fine. Now, if we set out tent away over there, we’d be out of your way over there. No! H.W. That would be fine. Thank you. No, please. We set ourselves on this camping trip. We have to do the camping. Hurry up! Do you have bread? Potatoes would be nice, thank you. That’s all right. I thought maybe we’d make a fire. I wanted to work with my son on making a fire. Thank you so much for you hospitality, Mr. Sunday. And we’ll be out of your way. We’re just hunting for quail. No, no, no. Thank you, young lady.” — Daniel Plainview
“Yes. You’re Eli Sunday. That’s right. Thank you. Thank you so much. That’s earthquake oil. Set loose. So… so, so. If there’s anything here, we take it to the sea. What we do is we build a pipeline to Port Hueneme or Santa Paula, it’s about 100 miles, and we do a deal with Union Oil. This is what we do. Then we don’t need the railroads and their shipping costs anymore. You see? You see that? Then we’re making money. We’re making the real money. What we should be making. Not just… not just throwing it away on shipping costs. Otherwise, it’s just mud. Who’s that? I’m not going to give them oil prices. I’ll give them quail prices.” — Daniel Plainview
“If we could take a few minutes, there’s something I would very much like to talk with you about. I believe in plain speaking, so… this is a beautiful ranch. I love hunting for quail, so… my boy has been sick, you know. He needs fresh air. Doctors all say he needs plentiful fresh air. So, what would you say would be a fair price for this lot, Abel? That’s right. Take a moment. Six dollars? Thank you, Eli. I’d like to offer you $3,700 for this ranch. That’s $3,700. Yes, I believe He has. My offer to you is $3,700. The Good Lord’s guidance. Now, of course, within that… …we’re going to develop a lease. What’s that? Uh, what about it? Oh, do you have someone who can drill for it? Do you think there’s oil here? It’s very expensive to drill. To get it up and out of the ground. You ever tried that before? Costly. I believe that’s called seepage. Doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything underneath it. I don’t know. That’s right. What would you like, Eli? For what? That’s good. That’s a good one. Well, uh… if we decide to drill for oil and the well begins to produce… I’ll give your church a $5,000 signing bonus. Do you want to find someone else that’s gonna come up here and drill, Eli? Make the investment and do all the hard work that goes into it? I can just as easily hunt for quail on another ranch as I can here, so… though I’ll happily be a supporter of your church as long as I can. For the bonus only. Now, as it happens I do have some connections in the drilling business who might help us get started. How do you feel about this, Abel? Well, good! Let’s draw up some contracts and let’s… let’s give it a try. Appreciate your help with this, Eli.” — Daniel Plainview
“Good afternoon. Real estate? Yes, I’d like to talk to you. I’m looking for some land. I just bought the Sunday Ranch. And, well, where’s the map? Where are the hills behind the the Sunday Ranch? What about this? What’s it held at? Six. What about this? Can everything around here be got?” — Daniel Plainview
“Paul Sunday turned out to be a good friend of ours. That’s right. Well, you get here just soon as you can. Bring Fred English. Good enough. You fellas are a long way from Signal Hill. Hello, Gene. Charlie. Good to see you. On your way somewhere else? Funny to see you. You boys are a little late. I found some interesting prospects. What did you find? That’s what I hear. Mostly in the north, so far. I’m gonna tell you, Gene, if you’re make a play, go east. I’d rather it be you than someone else. This mud around here has been taken. Telling me how handsome my son is? That’s very nice. Thank you. Take care. Good luck, Gene. Like I said, go east.” — Daniel Plainview
“Mary, she’s, uh, the smaller one? Everyone here? But? Who? …eight. Who’s he? Is he here? He’s boosting his price. Well, let him wait. He’ll come around. Let’s go. Ladies and gentleman? Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much for visiting with us this evening. Now, I’ve traveled over half our state to be here and see about this land. Now, I daresay some of you might have heard some of the more extravagant rumors about what my plans are, so I just thought you’d like to hear it from me. This is the face. It’s no great mystery. I’m an oilman, ladies and gentlemen, I have numerous concerns spread across this state. I have many wells flowing at many thousand barrels a day so I like to think of myself as an oil man. As an oil man, I hope you’ll forgive some good old-fashioned plain speaking. Now, this work that we do is very much a family enterprise. I work side by side with my wonderful son, H.W. I think one or two of you might have met him already. And I encourage my men to bring their families, as well. Of course, it makes for an ever so much more rewarding life for them. Family means children, children means education. So wherever we set up camp, education is a necessity and we’re just so happy to take care of that. So let’s build a wonderful school in Little Boston. These children are the future that we strive for and so they should have the very best things. Now, something else, and please don’t be insulted if I speak about this. Bread. Let’s talk about bread. Now, to my mind, it’s an abomination to consider that any man, woman, or child in this magnificent country of ours should have to look upon a loaf of bread as a luxury. We’re going to dig water wells here, and water wells means irrigation. Irrigation means cultivation. We’re gonna raise crops here where before it just simply wasn’t impossible. You’re going to have more grain than you’ll know what to do with, and bread will be coming right out of your ears, ma’am. New roads, employment, agriculture, education. These are just a few things we can offer you, and I assure you ladies and gentlemen, that if we do find oil here, and I think there’s a very good chance that we will, this community of yours will not only survive, it will flourish. I’d be happy to answer any questions that you might have. Yes?” — Daniel Plainview
“That’ll be the first place that it leads. Thank you, Eli. Anyone else? Well, if anything comes up, I’m pretty easy to find. Just come visit with me. Thank you so much for your time.” — Daniel Plainview
“Yes, come in. I’ll bring them up when they arrive. Everything’s good. Of course. I don’t believe so. No. Thank you. That’s right. The derrick. When you walk up? That’s fine. Well, then we start the drill. What time’s good for you, Eli? Well, let’s make it 4:00 then. My thanks for your visit.” — Daniel Plainview
“Afternoon, everyone. Come with me. I thank you all so much for visiting with us at this time. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of you and I hope very much in the months to come I’ll be able to visit with each and every one of you. I’m better at digging holes in the ground than making speeches, so let’s forget the speech for this evening, just make it a simple blessing. You see, one man doesn’t prospect from the ground. It takes a whole community of good people such as yourselves and this is good. We stay together. We pray together, we work together, and if the Good Lord smiles on our endeavor we share in the wealth together. Now, before we spud in Mary’s Well Number One, named for the lovely Miss Mary Sunday, right here by my side, a proud daughter of these hills, I’d just like to say God bless these honest labors of ours, and of course, God bless you all. Amen. Now go. Won’t be a minute. Fast as you can, H.W. That’s it, ladies and gentlemen! Al Rose has very generously provided some refreshments for this occasion out of his own pocket. Thank you, Al. If you’ll all just care to help yourselves, I’ll be back in a minute.” — Daniel Plainview
“Mary. Oh… Mary Sunday. Do you like your new dress? You’re welcome. I thought you’d like it. Are you happy I came here? Your daddy doesn’t hit you anymore does he? Does he now? Better not, right? I’ll take care of you. No more hitting, right? No more hitting. Now go. Go and play some more and don’t come back.” — Daniel Plainview
“What? What man? Did I know him? What happened? God damn it. Where’s the body. Where’s the bit. Clean him up. Put some clothes on him. And… set up a tent. Anybody goes down into the cellar, you tell somebody. Yes? Shut down till midday.” — Daniel Plainview
“Eli. Had a tragedy at the well last night. Joe Gundha was a man of considerable faith. So if you wish to say a few words, his burial is at noon tomorrow. Yes it could have. These men are working 12 hour shifts. They need their rest. If they don’t have it, they make stupid mistakes. We need these men well rested to bring in this well. They can’t get that if they’re up here listening to your gospel, and then the well can’t produce and blow gold all over the place. And then the well can’t produce and blow gold all over the place. Now, would you see to it that his personal possessions find their way back to his family, please? Thank you. Heard you were planning some renovations. That was one goddamn hell of a show.” — Daniel Plainview
“Lights out! Wait here. Wait here. Lights out! Put that fire out! Is he hurt? H.W.! Hand him down to me! Here. Hand him down! I’ve got him! Oh, God. Come on. Open the door. Let go. There you go. You’re safe. You’re safe. You’re safe now. I got you here. You’re safe. Let go, son. Tell me where it hurts. Tell me where it hurts. Tell me… tell me where it hurts. Where does it hurt you? Where does it hurt you? Were you hit in the head? Were you hit in the head? Tell me. You have to tell me if you were! I have to go and deal with this now. You wait here for me. I’ll be back. I’ll be back in a minute. Wait here.” — Daniel Plainview
Eli Sunday
“My name is Eli. Welcome. Eli. You’re hunting quail? We will bring dinner.”
“Six dollars an acre. No. What is it that bought you here, sir? What about our oil? What about our oil? We have oil here. That’s worth something. I know there is. How much is it? Well, our oil sits right up on top of the ground. What would you give us for it? Something you don’t know. Ten thousand dollars. For my church. Ten thousand.”
“Will the new road lead to the church?”
“Just follow the new road to the church. The new road will lead you there. Hello, brother, my name is Eli. Hello, brother, my name is Eli. The Church of the Third Revelation welcomes you. Just follow the new road right to the church.”
“Daniel, may I speak with you? Good morning. How is all the work coming? All the men are provided for? Spirits seem high. Is there anything that you need from me? Anything the church can do for you? I understand you’ve asked the people to gather around and watch the well begin tomorrow is that right? I will bless the well. Before you begin, you should introduce me. You’ll see me walk up towards the oil well, and when I… you’ll see me walk up, and then you could say my name. Yes. You’ll see me walk up, and you could say, ‘the proud son of these hills who tended his Father’s flock,’ and then you could say my name. And what happens then? It’s a simple blessing, Daniel. But an important one. It’s just a few words. It won’t take long. What time? 4:00. Good day. Thank you.”
“I went to my room to thank God for what he had given all of us. And I had a vision. Yes, last night, I had a vision and I felt God’s breath move through me. And it rolled down into my stomach. It sloshed around. And my stomach spoke in a whisper, not a shout ‘touch this woman with your hands and caress her.’ My dear Mrs. Hunter, you have arthritis, don’t you? Yes. The devil is in your hands and I will suck it out. Now, I will not cast this ghost out with a fever for the new spirit inside me showed me a new way to communicate. It is a gentle whisper. Get out of here, ghost. Get out of here, ghost. Get out. Get out of here, ghost. Get out of here, ghost. Get out of here, ghost. Get out of here. And don’t you dare turn around and come back. For if you do, all of the armies of my boot will kick you in the teeth and you will be cast up and thrown in the dirt and thrust back to perdition. And as long as I have teeth, I will bite you. And if I have no teeth, I will gum you! And as long as I have fists, I will bash you! Now, get out of here, ghost. Get out of here, ghost! Get out of here, ghost! And it left!”
“My dear Mrs. Hunter. Dance with me. Dance. Thanks for coming. Will I see you tomorrow? Yes, I heard. Daniel, this accident could have been avoided. It is terrible to think of that well …unblessed. I’ve seen some of the men drinking. Don’t you think that has something to do with this? I wish I had more time with Joe Gundha. More could have been done. Yes, our congregation is growing strongly. We need more room. We were happy to have you, Daniel.”
Paul Sunday
“Mr. Plainview? Are you Daniel Plainview? You look for oil. What do you pay for a place that has it. What does it depend on? If I told you I knew a place that had oil where land could be bought cheaply, what do you think that would be worth? Can I sit down? What church do you belong to? That would be telling you. That’s what I want to sell you. We have oil, and it seeps through the ground. Do you want to pay me to know where it is? Why did Standard Oil buy up land? Maybe. I’d like it better if you didn’t think I was stupid. You just brought this well in. Yes, so, just give me $500 in cash right now and I’ll tell you where it is. $600. We have a big ranch, but it’s mostly rocks. Plant things. But nothing will grow but weeds. What makes you think it’s up?”
“Alkali. Nearby. I don’t know sulfur. Is that your son? Hi. Who are you? What do you do? I come from a town called Little Boston in Isabella County. This is us, here. Spur station here at Little Boston. The Sunday Ranch is what you’re looking for. There’s a sheep trail that takes you there. It’s a mile out of town headed west, not far. Just through a small pass here near the base of the hills. You’ll pass a church and just follow the sheep trail. Here and here. That’s right. My father and mother and sisters and my brother Eli. Two. Paul. I don’t know. My uncle always said there was oil there, but I don’t know what they heard or what they think. It’s goats. It’s a goat farm. I told you, nothing grows but weeds. It’s salty. You drill a well, it’s hard not to get salt water. The oil is there. I’m telling you. I want to go now, so… no, I want to go now. I want to leave. Yes, sir. Nice luck to you. God bless.”
The Sunday Ranch
“Thank you, Mary. There’s someone coming. Good evening. Are you hunting? This is the Sunday ranch. You can camp here. Yes. Yes. Yeah, all fine. Thank you. We have goat’s milk, if you’d like. That’s fine. Ruth! Help these men and bring them some water. Mr. Plainview, would you like that milk now? Mary! Bring them some milk. My family will help you set up your tent. We have potatoes. I’ll have them boil you up some potatoes. All right. My son Eli will bring you some wood. Yes. Yes. I’m sorry we don’t have any bread. Corn just doesn’t fill out in the hills here. It’s mostly rock. We don’t have room to raise the grain.”
“Mother, would you take the girl outside, please? To buy this place? I’m sorry. I don’t know. And then with the improvements to the ranch over the years at $500… the lord has sent this man here, Eli. Yes. What Eli says.”
“What are those men doing? How much money can we make? One thousand dollars?”
“Mary said that her father beats her if she doesn’t pray.”
“Yes. Thank you. Yes. Yes, I do, Eli.”
Little Boston
“Good afternoon. Yes. That’s here. It’s the Bandy tract. He has over 600 acres. A.C. Maude, Blodget, Redlick, Carr. Six dollars an acre. That’s the Belvins, and that could be got, I’m sure. Sure.”
“Thank you, porter. H.W. how are you? Pretty good. Where’s your Dad? Hello, Plainview. Passing through. Looking around. Funny, isn’t it? You boys are a regular family business. Hmm. Did you hear Standard bought up? It must be easy when you have such a cute face to carry around with you. Well, that I am. H.W. I’ll be your lawyer if you need to draw up a contract. Make sure you don’t get swindled, boy. Get half what your dad’s making.”
“Very successful. There are a few vacant lots and one hold out. William Bandy. He’s an old man who homesteaded here. Lives with his grandson. He said he’d like to speak with you. No, he’d like you to come visit with him. He said he’d like to speak with whoever’s doing the buying.”
“♪ What a privilege to carry ♪ everything to God in prayer! ♪ What a privilege to carry… ♪ Jesus knows our every weakness ♪ Take it to the Lord in prayer ♪ Are we weak and heavy-laden ♪ Cumbered with a load of care? ♪ Precious Savior still our refuge ♪ Take it to the Lord in prayer… ♪”
“Yes. Cast out. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord and his holy days! Praise God! Aw!”
“It was a wonderful sermon. Yes.”
Fletcher Hamilton
“Is there sulfur around? Or alkali deposits? I’m Fletcher Hamilton. Nice to meet you, son. What’s your name? I work with Mr. Plainview.”
“Does any of your family know about the oil you say is there? What do you grow? Is there water?”
“How’s that?”
“Are you ready to do this?”
“Daniel? It’s okay, H.W. Go back to sleep. Go on. Go back to sleep. Daniel. Daniel. Daniel! Daniel! Lost a man down the well. Joe Gundha. No. They’re fishing it out now. It’s on the deck.”
H.W. Plainview
“Hi. How many sisters do you have?”
“H.W.”
“Dad! Dad, look at my shoe. So? Yeah. Yes. How much are we going to pay them? The Sunday family.”
“Fine. How are you? Inside.”
“They’re just guys that are working for us. They’re just looking around. I don’t know. It depends. Yes, she is.”
“I can’t hear my voice. I can’t hear my voice. Don’t leave!”
Oil Drill
“It’s coming in, boss! Hear it?”
“Pick it up. Set the brake. Tie it down. Tie it on. Shit!”
“Yes, sir.”
“Gas, gas, gas! Got him? No. Did you see this?”
Mr. and Mrs. Bankside
“What kind of royalty are you talking about? Ten and twelve. Mr. Plainview, a question, sir, where is your wife?”
Oil Town
“What is your offer? We’re wasting time! Please! Sit down! Sit down, you have no right… let us discuss what the man has to say. Prescott, do you trust this man? Let’s discuss what he has to say. There’s logic to what he’s saying. How does he know? My lot is here! Two or three years, it could be ten years! We gain nothing by losing our heads. Look at that well out there! Nobody’s losing their heads. You have no business being here! Sit that woman down, sir! You can sit down. Mr. Plainview. Please, Mr. Plainview! No, Mr. Plainview! No, where are you going? But we need you. No, no, no. There’s no confusion.”
