One Battle After Another review

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER: 

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON’S EPIC AND RELEVANT SCREWBALL ADVENTURE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Leonardo DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti in One Battle After Another

 

            An ex-revolutionary must rescue his daughter from a corrupt military official in One Battle After Another, the new film from director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Phantom Thread, Licorice Pizza) inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel, Vineyard. This was one of my most anticipated films all year, I love Anderson’s work with 2017’s Phantom Thread being IMO a near perfect movie though there’s been plenty of projects of his over the years that I absolutely loved. 

            So, a buddy action-comedy thriller that takes place on the U.S./Mexican border with Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception, The Wolf of Wall Street, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Sean Penn (I Am Sam, Mystic River, The Interpreter), and Benicio Del Toro (Sin City, Sicario 1 and 2, The Phoenician Scheme) directed by him was a no-brainer, of course, I’ll end up seeing it. Not sure if I’m overhyping it, but this not only may be one of my all-time favorite Anderson movies, but one of the best films of the whole year, One Battle After Another is fucking great! 

            I was on the edge of my seat, captivated, and laughing all throughout the movie while also getting roped into its bold themes and subject matter. It’s easily Anderson’s most consistently entertaining movie clocking in at 2 hours and 41 minutes without any time wasted. 

            The film Bob Ferguson (DiCaprio), a washed up and paranoid ex-revolutionary who was an avid member of the radical group, the French 75 and now survives off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti-Presumed Innocent). But when Bob’s old nemesis and corrupt military official Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Penn) resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles in order to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts. 

            The film also stars Del Toro as Sergio St. Carlos, Regina Hall (Scary Movie franchise, Barbershop: The Next Cut, Girls Trip) as Deandra, and Teyana Taylor (Coming 2 America, The Book of Clarence, Straw) as Willa’s mother and radical Perfidia Beverly Hills. 

            Overall, One Battle After Another is a riveting, beautifully filmed, and timely addition to Paul Thomas Anderson filmography and a gripping theatrical experience. See this movie in theaters on the largest screen you have because it looks and sounds spectacular, I was marveling at how Anderson filmed this movie from first-person shots of cars driving on the road to large-scale shots of the desert and long shots of military officials walking through detention centers, if this movie doesn’t get a Best Cinematography or Production Design Oscar nomination, I will scream! 

The movie doesn’t just work on a technical level; it also works incredibly well on a storytelling one also especially with its themes and subject matter it’s trying to get across. Sure, you can draw parallels between this and the horrible things that have been going on with ICE lately and that element certainly is there, but I also saw a story about an overprotective father looking out for his daughter while also learning that she’s growing up and needs to be free. 

            Hard to say if that was Anderson’s intention when making it, but if you’re a parent and/or follow current events, it’s easy to make connections to this movie and what’s going on in the world. I’m sure film lovers will certainly be discussing this movie for a long time and analyzing its themes. 

            Given the cast, it’s no surprise that the performances are spectacular across the board in this movie, Leonardo DiCaprio as a washed up ex-revolutionary and widowed father finds the perfect balance between being funny, serious, and heartfelt, he works…as usual. The big standout for me though was Sean Penn as a ruthless, white supremacist military colonel, for some reason I thought that was perfect casting, I don’t follow Penn’s personal life, but I am aware of how intense he can be both onscreen and behind the scenes and he brings that intensity to this character perfectly as someone you just want to punch in the fucking face. 

            Everyone else is great too, Benicio Del Toro gets some laughs though he’s not as prominent as what the trailers probably made you believe, Chase Infiniti I’m not super familiar with but I thought she was excellent as Bob’s daughter, and Regina Hall was a straight-up wild card as Willa’s mother. Stellar cast with equally stellar material to carry them through the film. 

            The action scenes are intense and leave you on the edge of your seat, Paul Thomas Anderson usually isn’t well-known for action, but seeing car chases, Leo running through shootouts and riots to escape the police, and standoffs in the desert with his direction was incredible. With the camera work, editing, and sound design, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the director of Phantom Thread and Punch-Drunk Love could be a prominent action director if he so desires. 

            One Battle After Another is a gripping movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen with thrills, suspense, and a witty but also thematically rich story with compelling characters. Everything that makes a great movie in this genre, Anderson delivered!