Quentin Tarantino Says This Would Be the Greatest Film of the 21st Century if It Didn’t Have Paul Dano in It

Quentin Tarantino recently shared his picks for the best films of the 21st century, and one movie he singled out was There Will Be Blood. The legendary director praised the film’s craftsmanship and Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance but had harsh words for Paul Dano’s role.

Tarantino told the story, “Daniel Day-Lewis. The old-style craftsmanship quality to the film. It had an old Hollywood craftsmanship without trying to be like that. It was the only film he’s ever done, and I brought it up to him, that doesn’t have a set piece.”

“The fire is the closest to a set piece. This was about dealing with the narrative, dealing with the story, and he did it f**** amazingly. ‘There Will Be Blood’ would stand a good chance at being #1 or #2 if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it … and the flaw is Paul Dano. Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, but it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. [Dano] is weak sauce, man.”

“He is the weak sister. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f**** actor in SAG [laughs].” Tarantino said.

There Will Be Blood is a 2007 American period drama written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film is loosely based on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil! and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O’Connor, Ciarán Hinds, and Dillon Freasier.

The story follows Daniel Plainview, a silver miner-turned-oilman, as he pursues wealth during California’s oil boom at the turn of the 20th century. Principal photography took place from June to September 2006, mainly on a ranch in Marfa, Texas, with some scenes shot in Los Angeles. Anderson filmed most scenes in sequence and used Panavision XL 35mm cameras.

Originally, Paul Dano was cast in a smaller role as Paul Sunday, but two weeks into filming, he was chosen to replace Kel O’Neill as Eli Sunday, the preacher brother. Dano had only four days to prepare for the larger role.

He studied the historical period and evangelical preachers to get into character, and scenes featuring Eli and Plainview had to be re-shot. Anderson, Day-Lewis, and O’Neill all denied claims that O’Neill was replaced because he was intimidated by Day-Lewis. O’Neill attributed it to a poor working relationship with Anderson and his own waning interest in acting.

Critics have widely praised the film. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 91% approval rating based on 245 reviews, with an average score of 8.5/10, calling it “a masterpiece” and highlighting the performances of Day-Lewis and Dano. Metacritic gives it a weighted score of 93 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim.

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