Daniel Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview may not have been the most likeable or affable of movie characters, but it's difficult not to admire his ambition, and of course, the legendary actor's performance stands as one of the greatest of all time. He manages to take a brutally efficient oil baron and make of him an iconic movie villain, cemented best by the line to Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), "I drink your milkshake...I drink it up!" The final scene of the movie has Plainview beat Eli to death with a bowling pin, at which point Daniel's butler comes downstairs to check on the commotion, only to find Plainview sat next to Eli's body, before he declares, "I'm finished" and a hilariously upbeat violin score plays us out. It's a deeply disturbing and stirring image, of a man taken from the peak of his life to overwhelming alcoholism and now, the violent murder of his mortal enemy. Absolutely fantastic, and unforgettable.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
