1. There Will Be Blood
If you've ever doubted that Paul Thomas Anderson is the greatest director of his generation than you all you have to do is watch the epic masterpiece that is There Will Be Blood. I am confident that There Will Be Blood is not only the best film of the 00s but should be spoken of in the same breath as all time classics such as The Godfather and Citizen Kane. Everything about this film shows a director working head and shoulders above all of his peers: the screenplay is realistically written providing endless character depth and a wealth of three dimensional characters. Obviously Daniel Day-Lewis' performance ranks with some of the best ever given on the screen, but the direction of the film is also some of the best that's ever been put to film. One only needs to watch the oil fire set-piece to see evidence of this. Like all classic films There Will Be Blood has an extremely high replay value and you can get multiple different interpretations of the film with each separate viewing. The film can be a tale of greed and manipulation, an epic character study bested only by Taxi Driver, a portrait of America at the turn of the century, a tale of religion vs. greed, an examination of father/son relationships or simply a portrayal of the oil business and the effects of capitalism. There Will Be Blood is not only proof that Anderson is the greatest director of his generation but also one of the greatest directors who has ever lived. Do you agree? We'd love to hear your opinions on Paul Thomas Anderson in the comments.