‘One Battle After Another’ review: Paul Thomas Anderson delivers an instant classic
Every film by writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson is met with frenzied anticipation, and One Battle After Another is no different.
Teaming up with acting superstar Leonardo DiCaprio for the first time, Anderson ensures that One Battle After Another lives up to the hype.
Film News Blitz’s Dan Lawrence believes this to be an instant classic.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What is ‘One Battle After Another’ about?
Inspired by the 1990 Thomas Pynchon novel, Vineland, the official synopsis for One Battle After Another reads: “Washed-up revolutionary Bob (DiCaprio) exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti).
“When his evil nemesis (Sean Penn) resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.”
DiCaprio’s Bob has been off-grid thanks to the explosive antics of Willa’s mother, Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), which led to the French 75 revolutionary group going underground to hide from U.S. Armed forces, spearheaded by Sean Penn’s Col. Steven J. Lockjaw.
Why the hype?
There was hype from the moment this film was announced for several reasons.
First, Anderson is responsible for some of the greatest films in modern cinema, from Boogie Nights to The Master and the incomparable There Will Be Blood.
Second, One Battle After Another boasts an incredible cast.
Acting legend DiCaprio and breakout star Infinit sparkle in this ensemble bolstered by Taylor, Regina Hall, Benicio Del Toro and more.
Third, Anderson and director of photography Michael Bauman committed to shooting One Battle After Another in wide-format VistaVision, a film stock long since forgotten by contemporary films.
What’s more, for the first time since 1961, One Battle After Another brings VistaVision presentation to select theatres.
All the positive ingredients are baked into this one.
Watch ‘One Battle After Another’ in cinemas
‘One Battle After Another’ could be one of the films of the year
One Battle After Another joins the likes of Sinners as a standout film in 2025.
It’s needless to say that every actor in this sprawling cast, no matter how big or small their role is, absolutely shines.
Taylor is arresting in the film’s first act, and Ifiniti announces herself as a star in the making.
Moreover, DiCaprio is at his brilliant best as a crazed, desperate hero battling circumstance, inner demons and antagonistic forces with razor sharp wit, kinetic energy and heartfelt compassion.
Then, there’s Penn’s villainous Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, hellbent on disrupting the father/daughter duo at the heart of this film.
Lockjaw has a complex relationship with fetishising women of colour, which is directly at odds with his racist ideology.
The result is a performance from Penn that portrays a film villain that will go down in history as one of the most memorable.
Lockjaw is the antithesis of DiCaprio’s Bob, and that creates a lightning tension that keeps this film ticking.
Moreover, there’s no doubting Anderson’s talent as a writer and director with One Battle After Another.
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Every character is created with such vividness that the audience can’t help me sucked into every beat of this film, which, although long at two hours and 41 minutes, cracks on at a wonderful pace to keep you hooked.
The decision to shoot on VistaVision creates a film that is beautiful in every frame, fusing a blend of road movie, western and Edward Hopper aesthetics with aplomb.
Furthermore, the format used let’s the performances shine, the action cut through to the audience like a knife through butter and gives One Battle After Another a look akin to the greats of 20th century cinema.
A compelling narrative, beautifully presented and incredibly acted, is complemented by brutal, honest and terrifying social commentary.
One Battle After Another encapsulates the racial tension, problematic ideologies and vitriol surrounding immigrants that currently have the U.S. in a vice grip.
Combine that with all the other things that make One Battle After Another great, and you have a film that will live long in the memory.
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