Too big to be called an indie film, too experimental to be labeled a studio pic, and not surreal enough to be considered an art-house piece, P.T. Anderson's latest foray into the descent of man packs a 1-2 punch with a few uppercuts and a kick to the groin. While being neither of these pigeon-holes, it's all of the above or somewhere in the middle. It's strange, quiet, loud, violent, irreverent, and gritty. This is definitely NOT Boogie Nights, nor Magnolia, nor Punch-Drunk Love, nor even Hard Eight (you should see this if you haven't – highly recommended). It's a film unto its own and a new direction for Anderson. The film is not a masterpiece, but the flaws are easily overlooked. There are rough junctions of both character and time. There are subtle characters and larger than life figures. There is love and yes, there is blood.

The film is not the usual plot-driven film where the character has a goal of which we follow and root for him to achieve. Instead, it's a relatively simple story about a man's greed and his refusal to let anything (ANYTHING) get in his way. A character study, if you will. The opening sequence sets the stage for Daniel Day-Lewis' character, Daniel Plainview. He's literally digging himself out of a hole and sacrificing even his own safety for a tiny nugget of gold. The lengths Daniel goes through to get this small nugget sets the stage for the rest of his journey through life.

Daniel Day-Lewis' take on the turn-of-the-century oil man is bizarre at first, but ultimately perfect. Hearing him speak after a long silence, I was worried his strange cadence and accent was going to be a disaster. Nonetheless, it's so deliberate, smooth and calm, that you're quickly seduced into his world as are the pawns he uses. As a friend of mine said, "It's exactly the way Satan would speak." But, alas, he's a business man, and business always comes first. He "adopts" a son when one of his workers dies in a mining accident. Not out of charity, but because the boy has a nice face that helps Daniel sell his con to the unsuspecting plain-folk of the oil-rich wastelands. In the days when a man could still strike-it rich with only a few men and a few dollars, Daniel Plainview quickly launches a mini oil empire unto himself. What makes this evil character so enticing to watch, is you truly never know what will come next. One minute he's saving a young girl from her father's abuse, the next minute he's slapping around a preacher. He's a man driven by greed, but has some kind of morality, even though it's his own, self-defined morality. The point is, Daniel's code of ethics works for him – all others be damned.

Aside from Daniel Day-Lewis' unique, yet perfect performance, the music score is the next fixture of this film that leaps out at me. Layered on top of these stark landscapes and gritty characters is a very experimental score. From the opening shot, we hear these horrible, yet haunting drone of strings that will become all too familiar at the peak of the film. Then we hear modern drums. Then a classical piece, then more droning strings. Each piece is unique and seemingly from entirely different films, but together, they resonate harmoniously as a third character of the film with the sole purpose of helping to define the inner workings of a living devil. Hats off to P.T. Anderson and Jonny Greenwood (original music) for taking a huge leap away from the typical period-piece sound score.

Some will love this movie. Some will hate it. But all should still be thinking about it long after the final credits. What did it mean? Is there really a mystery as to what (if anything) this film is about, or is this just an elegant character study? Are there deeper meanings? Does it even need to be analyzed? You'll probably have questions floating in your mind, but hopefully, you just have a belly full of fantastic film food.