There Will Be Blood is loosely based on Upton Sinclair's 1927 book Oil!

It was named movie of the year, while Daniel Day-Lewis took best actor for his role as an oil prospector and Paul Thomas Anderson was best director.

Julie Christie received best actress for Away From Her, while Casey Affleck and Cate Blanchett won awards for their supporting roles in other productions.

The society includes 61 critics from leading US publications and websites.

Tamara Jenkins won best screenplay for comic drama The Savages, starring Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

'Gritty' account

Romanian release Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days took the prize for best foreign-language film.

And No End in Sight - a documentary about US foreign policy, particularly in Iraq - was best non-fiction production.

Affleck received his best supporting actor award for his role in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Christie won after playing a woman struggling with Alzheimer's disease

And it was Blanchett's portrayal of musician Bob Dylan in I'm Not There which earned her a prize from the society.

There Will Be Blood, which is due to be released on 15 February in the UK, has been described as "grim" and "gritty", and tells of a businessman who becomes desperate to make money through oil.

Set in the early 20th Century, it has already been nominated for best drama at next week's Golden Globes, and is considered a candidate for best picture at the Oscars in February.