Channeling John Huston, Day-Lewis galvanized filmgoers and won his second Best Actor Oscar with his dominating portrayal of Daniel Plainview, who burns all bridges in early 20th-century California while making his fortune in oil. Writer/director Anderson took as inspiration Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil!, creating a singular meditation on American manifest destiny. Scored by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood; the Oscar-winning cinematography is by Robert Elswit.