There Will Be Blood (2007) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

Daniel Plainview's pursuit of oil wealth destroys trust, family, faith, and finally his remaining human attachments.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

From Silver to Oil

Daniel survives an injury, discovers oil, and adopts an orphaned child after a worker's death. He uses the family image to attract investors and expand his business.

Key Events

• Silver Discovery and Injury — Daniel finds silver, breaks his leg, and drags himself to an assay office. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: New Mexico prospecting pit
• Early Oil Discovery — Daniel discovers oil and begins building his fortune through drilling. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: California oil field
• Adopting the Orphan — After a worker dies, Daniel adopts the orphaned child to appear trustworthy to investors. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: California drilling camp

The Sunday Oil Bargain

Paul directs Daniel toward the Little Boston deposit, where Daniel negotiates with the Sunday family. Eli's church demands and the remaining landowner establish the obstacles to Daniel's expansion.

Key Events

• Paul Reveals Little Boston — Paul tells Daniel about an oil deposit beneath the Sunday property. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Daniel's business setting
• The Sunday Property Visit — Daniel visits Little Boston and meets Eli while pretending to seek land for quail hunting. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Sunday family property
• Church Payment Negotiation — Eli demands money for his church; Daniel counters, and the property deal is made. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Sunday family property
• The Holdout Ranch — Daniel acquires surrounding land but cannot obtain the final ranch needed for his pipeline. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: Little Boston ranches

Fire Beneath the Derrick

A fatal accident and a gas blowout damage Daniel's operation and permanently deafen his adopted child. Daniel responds to Eli's public demands with violence and begins separating himself from family.

Key Events

• Fatal Drilling Accident — An accident kills a worker during drilling and destabilizes Daniel's operation. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: Little Boston oil field
• Gas Blowout Deafens the Child — A gas blowout deafens Daniel's adopted son and destroys the drilling infrastructure. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: Little Boston oil field
• Eli Demands Payment — Eli publicly demands the money Daniel still owes, and Daniel beats and humiliates him. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Little Boston public gathering
• Family Dinner Rebuke — Eli attacks his father at dinner for trusting Daniel. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Sunday household

The False Brother

Henry enters Daniel's life claiming family ties, but Daniel discovers that he is an impostor. Daniel murders him, then confronts his own grief while pursuing the pipeline.

Key Events

• Henry Arrives — Henry arrives claiming to be Daniel's half-brother and seeks a place in Daniel's life. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Henry Location: Daniel's residence
• The Shack Fire — The adopted child sets fire to the shack, and Daniel restrains him. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: Daniel's shack
• Separation for Deaf School — Daniel sends the adopted child to a school for the deaf in San Francisco. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: California-to-San Francisco journey
• Pipeline Strategy — Daniel rejects a Standard Oil buyout and makes a Union Oil pipeline deal. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: Daniel's business office
• Henry Exposed — Daniel tests Henry with a childhood joke and exposes his false identity. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Henry Location: Daniel's residence
• Murder and Buried Secret — Daniel kills Henry, buries him, and later grieves over the real Henry's journal. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Henry Location: Remote ground near Daniel's property

Blood in the Bowling Alley

Daniel becomes wealthy and isolated, rejects his adopted son's independence, and later receives Eli's final business proposal. After exposing Eli's dependence and failed investments, Daniel kills him and declares completion.

Key Events

• Forced Church Repentance — The holdout ranch owner forces Daniel to repent publicly in Eli's church for a pipeline easement. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Eli's church
• Pipeline Construction — The pipeline is built, while the adopted child reunites with Daniel and Eli becomes a missionary. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Little Boston pipeline route
• Partnership Dissolves — The grown adopted son asks to dissolve their partnership and leave for Mexico. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: Daniel's mansion
• Daniel Disowns His Son — Daniel mocks the son's deafness, reveals his origins, and disowns him. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: Daniel's mansion
• Eli Returns as Preacher — Eli visits the drunken Daniel and asks for a drilling partnership involving the holdout ranch. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Bowling alley beneath Daniel's mansion
• Eli Denounces His Faith — Daniel agrees only if Eli denounces his faith, and Eli submits to the condition. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Bowling alley beneath Daniel's mansion
• The Drained Ranch Revelation — Daniel reveals that he already drained the ranch's oil and taunts Eli over his financial failures. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Bowling alley beneath Daniel's mansion
• Bowling Alley Killing — Daniel chases Eli and bludgeons him to death with a bowling pin. Characters: Daniel Plainview, Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday Location: Bowling alley beneath Daniel's mansion
• Daniel Declares Completion — When the butler investigates, Daniel announces that he is finished. Characters: Daniel Plainview Location: Bowling alley beneath Daniel's mansion

Story Breakdown

• Prospector Becomes Oilman — Daniel turns physical hardship and early discoveries into a growing oil enterprise.
  • Silver Claim — Daniel survives a broken leg and secures a silver and gold claim.
  • Investor Family Image — After a worker dies, Daniel adopts an orphaned child to appear respectable.
• The Little Boston Deal — Paul's information brings Daniel to the Sunday property and begins the main business conflict.
  • Oil Deposit Revelation — Paul identifies oil beneath the Sunday land.
  • Church Money Dispute — Eli demands payment for his church during the property negotiation.
• Drilling Turns Catastrophic — The oil venture produces wealth but also death, destruction, and permanent family damage.
  • Worker's Death — A drilling accident kills a worker.
  • Gas Blowout — A blowout deafens the adopted child and destroys the derrick.
• Daniel Rejects Accountability — Daniel answers public demands and private suffering with violence and emotional withdrawal.
  • Eli Humiliated — Daniel beats Eli after Eli publicly demands the promised money.
  • Child Sent Away — Daniel sends the adopted child to a school for the deaf.
• The False Brother — Henry's arrival briefly offers Daniel companionship before deception leads to murder.
  • Identity Suspicion — Daniel recognizes that Henry cannot confirm a childhood memory.
  • Buried Confession — Henry admits impersonation, and Daniel kills and buries him.
• Pipeline and Isolation — Daniel secures a route for his oil while becoming increasingly alone and powerful.
  • Union Oil Agreement — Daniel rejects a buyout and arranges a pipeline deal with Union Oil.
  • Public Repentance — Daniel submits to a humiliating church confession to obtain an easement.
• Family Partnership Breaks — Daniel's adopted son seeks independence, and Daniel responds by denying their family bond.
  • Mexico Drilling Plan — The son asks to dissolve the partnership and start an independent company.
  • Final Disinheritance — Daniel mocks the son's deafness and disowns him.
• Eli's Final Defeat — Eli returns seeking oil investment, but Daniel turns the meeting into a final act of revenge.
  • Faith Renounced — Eli agrees to denounce his faith in exchange for Daniel's proposed partnership.
  • Bowling Pin Murder — Daniel reveals the drained property, kills Eli, and declares that he is finished.

Directed by

Paul Thomas Anderson

Key Cast

• Daniel Day-Lewis — Daniel Plainview
• Paul Dano — Paul Sunday / Eli Sunday
• Kevin J. O'Connor — Henry
• Ciarán Hinds — Fletcher Hamilton
• Dillon Freasier — H.W. Plainview