There Will be Blood (2007) is an entertaining film that delineates in various forms which will be discussed other western genres. It is a story formed from a novel based on Upton Sinclair's book, Oil! (1927) (Belton, 2009, p.401). Many westerns were based on dime novels written in the mid-to-late 1800s (Belton, 2009, p.246). American society was going through a period of transition from an agrarian to an industrial society in the 1800s and early 1900s (Wright 2001; Desk Encyclopedia, 1989, pp. 27-28, 630-631). Revolutionary change could explain the difference between most Western genres and the film There Will be Blood. In fact, one important different aspect of the contrast between There Will be Blood and other westerns is that most westerns are based on novels written before OIL! by Upton Sinclair. The United States had become more industrial and had begun to change its morals, interactions, rationality, autonomy, and self-interest. These differences will be compared by showing how There Will be Blood uses an anti-hero, industrialism, deception, greed and what should be considered a more oriental way of life. Most westerns have a heroic cowboy who fights against corrupt officials to save a country. a helpless small town or a person in need of help. They also have women who are attracted to the cowboy and Indians who the cowboy usually fights. The cowboy is moral and fights for good because he is free from civilization, its deception, and the wilderness (Wright, 2001, pp. 18-58; Belton, 2009, pp. 248-249 ). Most cowboys who emerge in Western films are honest and straightforward. There Will be Blood portrays a character different from the usual cowboy that emerges from the West. It takes place in the same geog...... middle of paper ......ho his attitude and treatment towards others. Plainview's two closest relationships deteriorate due to his behavior, his inevitable hatred of people, his distrust, and his competitive nature. All these differences between the average western and There Will be Blood could be due to the time difference and the way society viewed the Industrial Revolution. References (1989). The New American Encyclopedia. New York, New York: New American Library. Belton, John. (2009). American cinema/American culture. New York, NY: McGraw/Hill Publications. Rudin, Scott & Schlosser, Eric & Williams, David (producers) & Anderson, Paul. Thomas. (Director). (2007). There Will Be Blood [Motion Picture] Marin County, California: Paramount Vantage & Miramax FilmsWright, Will. (2001). The Wild West: the mythical cowboy and social theory. New Delhi, London: Sage Publications.