My Pick: Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood (2007)
Ah, the eternal “before…”—I’ll assume you meant “before 2010” or perhaps “before the 21st century” (since your question cuts off there). Either way, I’ve got a favorite that fits the bill: Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. It’s a performance so immersive, raw, and transformative that it feels like Day-Lewis didn’t just act the role—he became it, oil-slicked ambition and all.
Why This Performance Stands Out
Day-Lewis plays Plainview, a ruthless oil prospector in early 20th-century California, evolving from a silent, pickaxe-wielding miner to a megalomaniacal tycoon. What makes it legendary? The sheer physicality and psychological depth. He barely speaks for the first 15 minutes, communicating volumes through guttural grunts, sweat-drenched stares, and a single-minded ferocity that builds like pressure in a well about to blow. By the film’s end, his unhinged monologue—”I drink your milkshake!”—is a chilling pinnacle of villainy that’s equal parts hilarious, horrifying, and hypnotic.
It’s not just showy; it’s methodical. Day-Lewis spent months researching, even breaking his arm during filming to match the era’s grit. Critics rave about how he vanishes into the character, making Plainview’s descent into isolation and greed feel painfully human. He won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2008, and it’s easy to see why—it’s the kind of work that redefines what’s possible on screen.
A Quick Nod to Other Pre-2010 Gems
If we’re strictly pre-2000, I’d pivot to Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972). His Don Corleone is a masterclass in subtlety: the gravelly whisper, the subtle menace behind those jowly pauses, turning a mob boss into a tragic patriarch. Or Robert De Niro in Raging Bull (1980), bulking up 60 pounds for Jake LaMotta’s brutal ring life—pure, pugilistic poetry. But Day-Lewis edges them out for me because There Will Be Blood captures that American Dream-gone-nightmare vibe so viscerally.
What about you? Got a cutoff year or a different era in mind? I’d love to hear your take—maybe it’ll inspire my next rewatch.