Hollywood is embroiled in a war of words after legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino launched a stinging critique of actor Paul Dano's performance in a classic film, prompting a public defence from The Batman director Matt Reeves.
Tarantino's Scathing Podcast Critique
During a recent podcast appearance, the Oscar-winning director of Pulp Fiction took aim at Dano's dual role in Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 masterpiece, There Will Be Blood. Tarantino labelled Dano's portrayal of the zealous preacher Eli Sunday as "weak" and "uninteresting", going so far as to call the actor the film's "big, giant flaw".
He elaborated that the critically acclaimed period drama would have ranked higher in his personal list of top 21st-century movies if not for what he described as Dano's "non-entity" performance. The comments, made on Friday 5 December 2025, have sent ripples through the film industry.
The Batman Director's Firm Rebuttal
In a swift and public response on the social media platform X, Matt Reeves, who directed Paul Dano as the Riddler in the 2022 blockbuster The Batman, leapt to the actor's defence. Reeves offered a full-throated endorsement, praising Dano as an "incredible actor, and an incredible person".
Reeves was not alone in his support. His co-writer on The Batman, Mattson Tomlin, also voiced his admiration for Dano, highlighting the actor's significant talent not just in front of the camera but behind it as a director as well.
A Clash of Cinematic Perspectives
This public disagreement highlights the subjective nature of artistic critique, even among the industry's most respected figures. While Tarantino is renowned for his strong, often controversial opinions on cinema, the defence from Reeves and Tomlin underscores the high regard in which Dano is held by his recent collaborators.
The incident sets a passionate defence of a contemporary actor's craft against the bold criticism of a veteran auteur, creating a compelling discourse about performance, legacy, and artistic judgement in modern filmmaking.
