Christopher Nolan Considers ‘There Will Be Blood’ to Be Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Best Film”

These Konbini videos out of France are really a treasure to behold. You can check out their entire library of guests here; even Wes Anderson popped up just a few weeks ago.

All of this to say that Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy showed up for the latest video and it’s another great one. I’ll write more about this, but for now here’s a quick snippet of Nolan gushing over Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood.”

“There Will Be Blood,” excellent film. I think it’s Paul’s best. Unbelievable performance.

His “Oppenheimer” actor, Murphy, also loves the film, but slightly favors PTA’s 2002 collaboration with Adam Sandler, another great film in a very impressive filmography:

I do love “Punch-Drunk Love, but for me though? If I had to choose it’d be between that one or “There Will Be Blood.”

I never really thought that much about what PTA’s best movie might be, he has so many great ones, but “There Will Be Blood” could very well be his “masterpiece”. It’s definitely his go-for-broke statement.

The film starts off as a piece of silent cinema, as main protagonist Daniel Plainview pours blood sweat and tears into finding the oil that’ll corrupt his soul and turn him into this filthy rich capitalist.

“There Will Be Blood” is a film about family, the industrial age and, most importantly, the beginnings of capitalism. The latter is what ends up rotting Plainview into oblivion; in the end he’s stuck in his own Xanadu, shunned from everyone.

The filmmaking wizardry and Daniel Day Lewis’ landmark performance as Plainview are what might put this one at the top of PTA’s filmography, which also includes other greats, such as “Punch-Drunk Love,” “Magnolia,” “Phantom Thread” and “Boogie Nights.”

So, yes, now that I think about it, “There Will Be Blood” might indeed be PTA’s magnum opus.