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

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Quentin Tarantino recently revealed his favorite movies from the 21st century, and he highlighted There Will Be Blood as a standout. While he admired the film’s overall quality and Daniel Day-Lewis’s acting, he wasn’t impressed with Paul Dano’s performance.

Tarantino recalled a conversation about Daniel Day-Lewis and his approach to filmmaking. He noted that Day-Lewis’s work embodied a classic, meticulous quality, reminiscent of old Hollywood, but achieved naturally, without feeling forced. Tarantino also pointed out that this was the only film of Day-Lewis’s he’d seen that didn’t rely on elaborate, showy scenes or ‘set pieces’.

The film’s visual elements are particularly strong, but the story is what really shines, and it’s exceptionally well done. ‘There Will Be Blood’ could easily be considered one of the best films ever made, but it has a significant weakness: the performance of Paul Dano. While the film aims to be a two-person story, Dano’s character feels underdeveloped and doesn’t carry equal weight with Daniel Day-Lewis.

Quentin Tarantino described the actor as lacking strength and charisma, suggesting Austin Butler would have been a much better fit for the part. He bluntly called him a very uninteresting and weak performer, even labeling him the weakest actor in the Screen Actors Guild with a laugh.

Released in 2007, There Will Be Blood is an American period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It’s inspired by Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil! and features performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O’Connor, Ciarán Hinds, and Dillon Freasier.

The film centers on Daniel Plainview, who goes from being a silver miner to an oil prospector during the California oil boom in the early 1900s. Filming took place primarily on a ranch in Marfa, Texas, with a few scenes done in Los Angeles, from June to September 2006. Director Paul Thomas Anderson shot the movie mostly in order, using Panavision XL 35mm cameras.

Paul Dano initially joined the film in a minor part as Paul Sunday. However, after filming for two weeks, he was unexpectedly asked to play the much bigger role of Eli Sunday, replacing Kel O’Neill. Dano then had just four days to get ready for his new, expanded part.

To prepare for his role, the actor researched the time period and famous preachers. Some scenes with his co-stars had to be filmed again. While rumors suggested he was replaced due to being overwhelmed by Daniel Day-Lewis, both Day-Lewis and the director, Paul Thomas Anderson, denied this. The actor himself explained the reshoots were due to difficulties with Anderson and a loss of enthusiasm for acting.

The film has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes shows a 91% approval rating from 245 critics, who gave it an average score of 8.5/10 and called it a masterpiece, particularly praising the acting of Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano. Metacritic also indicates universal acclaim, giving the film a score of 93 out of 100.

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2025-12-03 11:14