Am I the only one who thinks the title should start with "Oh yes ... "?: "There Will Be Blood"

Because whenever anyone makes a point to say something *will* happen, it really needs to come with that extra oomph, like when Wayne Campbell was talking about buying that guitar or bagging Cassandra. "Oh yes ... there will be blood."

That was one reason why I took in this tale of oil men in the early 20th century. The other was Daniel Day-Lewis, who I was told knocked the role of tough-ass oil man out of the park. When I think about it, I haven't seen this guy in much. Meaning only one movie. Not entirely my fault, though, since he's been in fewer than 20 movies, and that's counting his turn as "Colin, South African Street Tough" in "Gandhi."

If I recall correctly, Day-Lewis caught everyone's eye almost 20 years ago in "My Left Foot," winning an Oscar. All I've seen, however, is "In the Name of the Father," which was solid. Been meaning to see "Gangs of New York" but just haven't gotten around to it. All this is to say that while I know Danny Boy is supposed to be one of today's greats, I had very little proof through my own viewings. Until now.

We meet Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis) as a solitary gold and silver prospector in 1898. We quickly follow him to oil in 1902, then to 1911, when most of the movie is set. Plainview has become a bonafide oil man and totes along his 10-year-old son to win leases anywhere he can. He soon learns there may be a whole mess of black gold in the piddling California town called Little Boston. Sure enough, there is, but he soon finds all sorts of hurdles -- psychological and sociological more than physical -- to extracting his fortune.

From this somewhat simple plot we get a deliberate tale by the man who earlier gave us a dysfunctional family of pornographers. Yep, Paul Thomas Anderson. Calling this a departure from the type of stories we saw in "Boogie Nights," "Magnolia" and "Punch-Drunk Love" is like calling Jessica Simpson a little dim. Sure, there be some of the same themes of screwed-up families and the need to conquer your demons, but ... well, how do you go from Dirk Diggler to oil derricks?

However it happened, Anderson delivers a pretty good movie. No question the two-and-a-half hour running time required some patience, but Day-Lewis grabbed my attention and never let it go. Quite simply, Daniel Plainview wants to win, period. At oil, sure, but also everything. His biggest problem here isn't the big oil companies, but rather a preacher at a tiny church, who also happens to be from the family whose land is Plainview's first purchase in Little Boston.

Playing the preacher is Paul Dano, whom you may remember as the sullen, mute teen in "Little Miss Sunshine." (And even odder, Klitz from "The Girl Next Door.") He's good, too, as are the actors who play Plainview's kid, Plainview's brother and just about everyone. Can't say I've read much about the early 1900s oil boom in California, but everyone and everything looked authentic enough to me.

Ultimately, though, this is Day-Lewis's show, and he's probably going to win another Oscar as a result. His bitterness and refusal to give in continues all the way to through the final scene, which would have been nice to see if the film hadn't cut off a few minutes before the end.

That's right. I haul my ass to one of my city's two art-house theaters, sit through about 135-140 minutes of a movie, and right at the point that a crusty old Plainview and the smirking preacher are talking and tension is building ... cut! The lights come on, we all sit around for a bit, then a theater employee comes in and says that's the end of the movie except for the credits.

Hmmmm ... I'm not sure I believe you, miss. Sure seemed abrupt to me, but fine, I'll take you at your word that there's nothing left and you can't start the movie back up. Then I get home, check one of the IMDB message boards and ... son of a bitch! Turns out that something pretty damn significant happens at the end, you twit. And I got to read about it instead of seeing this critical and apparently amazing scene. Well, f*ck me.

Anyway, I called the theater, explained my dismay and -- thanks to a reasonable manager who knows it's wrong to d!ck around with customers -- should have a couple of movie passes and some free popcorn coupons coming my way. That helps a bit, but it really sucks that I didn't see the end. So yeah, if you decide to see "There Will Be Blood," trust me that there will be a reason to stay to the very end. And make sure to tell me how good it is.