There Will Be Blood named film of the decade

Movie experts today named the brutal Oscar nominee There Will Be Blood as the greatest film of the decade.

The 2007 period drama about a driven, single-minded oil prospector in the southern California oil boom was chosen by critics from Total Film magazine.

The film starred Daniel Day Lewis, for which he won a best actor Oscar, although it missed on the best film Academy Award to No Country For Old Men.

The magazine's writers sifted through the decade's releases to find the most notable films of the past 10 years for the new edition which is on sale on Wednesday.

Also in their choice of the most iconic movies were Batman caper The Dark Knight which was named 'blockbuster of the decade' and 2001 sleeper hit Donnie Darko which was crowned 'cult of the decade'.

Jamie Graham, Total Film's deputy editor, said: "The Total Film selections were designed to identify the films that have most shaped the landscape of modern mainstream cinema.

"But we also felt it was important to reward the 'best' film of the decade, and this category saw Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood pip the likes of No Country For Old Men, Mulholland Drive, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Memento to the top spot."

What was the most memorable arts event of 2009? In the comments form below (or via email to arts@independent.co.uk) nominate your favourite - in film, music, theatre, comedy, dance or visual arts - with a brief explanation as to why it tops your list and we'll print a selection in The Independent Readers' Review of 2009.