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It's the Fight of the Century and Beyond.

It's also a modern masterpiece that absolutely must not be missed.

In one corner, oil baron Daniel Plainview. He's a python in a business suit, promising the people in tiny Little Boston, Calif., he can bring them food and an education system — Progress! — if they'll allow him to tap their ground for oil.

In the other corner is preacher Eli Sunday, who channels the Lord and thus can offer salvation to Little Boston. He's subtle as an avalanche, screaming sermons so loudly his voice cracks.

Is civilization at stake? Or just a whole lot of money?

It's a marvelous feud, set just after the start of the 20th century, between the embodiments of oil lust and religious fanaticism. Horrible wars will be carried out in the name of both — there will be blood.

The two men's boxing match — they loathe each other and swap public embarrassments — drives the plot of "There Will Be Blood."

The film's beating black heart, though, is Daniel Day-Lewis as Plainview. His legendary performance here will be remembered, cited and appreciated for as long as there are movies.

If Day-Lewis doesn't win an Oscar — and he was already jobbed once for "Gangs of New York" — then the award officially means nothing. He's mesmerizing and intense and ferocious and terrifying and provocative and . . . pick the adjective; there aren't really words to do this bit of work justice.

For the first grueling 15-or-so minutes, not a word is spoken in "There Will Be Blood." Plainview picks at minerals in the ground, the gravel crunching beneath his boots. He breaks his leg.

The movie makes you wait to hear his voice, but what a voice. Day-Lewis takes care with every syllable. His words are calculated and elegant, carrying an air of intensity that might scare the world away if he weren't such a brilliant salesman.

He's gentlemanly and menacing at the same time. When Eli's younger brother Paul (Paul Dano, who doubles as Eli, as well) finds Plainview at the beginning of the movie to tell him of Little Boston, sitting on an untapped ocean of oil, Plainview pays him, shakes his hand and says, "If I travel all the way there and find out you're a liar, I'll find you and take more than my money back. Is that all right with you?"

Plainview travels with his adopted son and "partner," H.W. (Dillon Freasier), who is baptized with oil in the wordless opening scene. Their's is a father-son relationship rich with complications. Plainview loves his son as much as he's capable, but the boy serves mostly like a billboard for his "family values." H.W. helps him sell.

"There Will Be Blood" bursts with genius. Director Paul Thomas Anderson shelves his "Boogie Nights" avant-garde style, allowing Day-Lewis the throne of flamboyant artist while he directs with astonishing precision. Shots are framed perfectly. Day, twilight and night all seem like integral characters. The sound, beyond just that voice, entangles you.

And the electric-sounding score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood gives the film added meaning. This is not the typical score of a period piece — it hints at what's to come, and notions of soullessness.

A lack of soul is the overriding theme here. Plainview is insanely wealthy, but we never once see him buy anything or enjoy his money. He's often drunk and angry, peering at the morons around him with a stare that could cut glass. This film is almost devoid of women.

When Plainview's mysterious, long-lost brother re-enters his life, they drink by the fire and Plainview states slowly, "I hate most people. There are times when I look at them, and I see nothing worth liking."

It's a chilling characterization for the ages, and the preacher Eli Sunday might be a fool for standing in his way.

Their boxing match, by the way, ends in a scene of bloody bluntness that will inevitably anger some filmgoers. In this way, it's perfect. When forces this powerful collide, it takes a hell of a knockout punch to finally end the fight.

That's enough said. You've just got to see it. "There Will Be Blood" is a brilliant work of art; an awesome collaboration between the best actor on the planet and a director with rare talent.

It's as special as movies get.