Tarantino Criticizes Dano's Performance in There Will Be Blood

Quentin Tarantino sparked debate among film enthusiasts after criticizing Paul Dano's performance in the 2007 film "There Will Be Blood" during a December 2025 appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast. The director ranked the Paul Thomas Anderson movie, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis as oil prospector Daniel Plainview, as his fifth favorite of the 21st century but said a key flaw prevented it from topping his list.

Tarantino praised the film's narrative focus and old-Hollywood craftsmanship, noting its lack of traditional set pieces while still delivering a compelling story. He described it as Anderson's only work without such elements, calling the direction "fucking amazingly" executed. However, he targeted Dano's dual portrayal of twins Paul and Eli Sunday, characters central to Plainview's conflicts over oil drilling in the fictional town of Little Boston. "There Will Be Blood would stand a good chance at being No. 1 or 2 if it didn't have a big, giant flaw in it, and the flaw is Paul Dano," Tarantino said. He argued the movie was intended as a two-hander between Plainview and Eli but fell short because Dano's performance lacked the intensity to match Day-Lewis's...