Fair warning: I have a lot to say about “One Battle After Another,” and no clear way to say it all. So many thoughts and ideas bouncing around in my brain I simply can’t collect them coherently enough to put them in order on paper. So this will be more a personal stream of conscience than a sound review, a critique as messy as the people and revolution the film concerns itself with. I guess for starters, it is a masterpiece, the true movie moment of our time and one of the most important films to see as it arrives at the precise time it needs to. This timeless yet timely tale taps the raw nerve exposed in American politics and captures the hopelessness of fighting against institutions of power and the hopefulness of the necessity of generational revolution.
A sort of Portrait of a Revolutionary inspired by a long list of previous revolutions and figures, “One Battle After Another” stitches them together to form a new look at everything through the lenses of the past, wearing those inspirations like a security blanket but carving its own path of originality and cinematic longevity. Revolution is messy because humans are messy; there is no fight without casualty and not all of those mistakes and regret and messes result in bloodshed. There is no one size fits all for revolutionaries, and each generations approaches its clashes with authoritarian regimes and racially charged power displays with new lessons and tactics. It is about so much, but at its core it’s about those who try to change the world and fail but find community and hope in others who take up the mantel after them and continue the good fight for good people.
Paul Thomas Anderson has always been interested in broken people, characters searching for something – be it belonging, love, community, power, money, forgiveness, redemption etc – in hopes to be made whole again. He has always been a filmmaker interested in the humanity amid his own cynicism of society, and “One Battle After Another” feels like a culmination of all his previous work and every stage. A commemoration of his big ideas that have matured from his chaotic, forceful tones of his late 20s work like “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia” into his more mature, introspective visions like “The Master” and “There Will Be Blood.” Here we see PTA at both his most profound and interesting but also at his most accessible and crowd pleasing, tackling broad, complex themes and ideology under the exquisite technical brilliance of the action genre.
This is a foreign sandbox for PTA, but my god does this film prove there really isn’t a playground he can’t build masterpiece sandcastles in. There are so many moments in the film where you almost forget it’s him behind the camera, the way it never sits still but still delivers exhilarating action and kinetic, jaw dropping set pieces. Nothing in his nine previous films could prepare you for what he does here visually. But then there are narrative beats like casting JunglePussy (PTA knowing who that is and even more so casting her to be herself is a whole other piece to unpack at some point) and using one of her rap lines “This pussy don’t pop for you” as a pivotal plot point and looming sentiment serve as a stark reminder that ya, you’re in a fucking PTA movie. Buckle up.
Technically perfect in just about every category, “One Battle After Another” explodes your eyeballs with some of the most gripping and riveting visuals I’ve seen in a long time. That says a lot because I’ve seen a LOT of movies, but there is simply nothing like this out there, and nothing as in sync from a crafts perspective across the board since maybe “Sinners,” and even that one may not click quite as cleanly as things do here. From Jonny Greenwood’s frantic, haunting piano score that booms with every touch of the keys jolting electricity into supercharged chase sequences. To Michael Bauman’s immaculate cinematography that constantly moves all around everything and everyone, never sitting still but never once losing focus and also creating one of the most stunning chases I’ve ever seen in the River of Hills sequence. My stomach literally dropped multiple times; I sat on the edge of my seat with baited breath, eyes wide unable to look away from the marvel I was witnessing.
The lighting, holy shit. There’s a rooftop chase sequence that on its own is excellent camera work, but the darkness of night that shrouds the shadowy figures against the backdrop of the civil unrest glows errupting on the streets below is pure cinema, simply magnificent. To Andy Jurgensen’s impeccable editing, fully capturing the paranoia baked into the base nature and its framework. Hard cuts and transitions and steady oners are all present and Jurgensen seems to being living inside PTA’s head, constructing his story exactly as he intended. It all works together in perfect harmony, Anderson’s sharp script and assured direction creating a captivating, undeniable marker in cinematic history and giving us a final product we will be talking about for decades. Of course, if the characters and performances aren’t dialed in to what the crafts are laying down, then you’re left with nothing more than a really well made experiement in how movies get made. Thankfully, it not only sports an all star cast, but has those all stars giving some career bests. There is no weak link, even characters given the least amount to do make an absolute meal of every moment they’re given and every single face we see leaves you asking for their own spinoff.
Starting with Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), she a firecracker of chaos and unadulterated passion from the moment we meet her. Taylor is a star, one of the most captivating women put on screen, and while she’s only in the film for about the first 30-40 minutes, PTA makes her the catalyst of all events that take place. Though she’s physically absent, she looms large over everything and everyone all the time, not one single chactaracter unaffected by her and her actions, good or bad, selfish or otherwise. Like almost everyone we meet, I could make this entire review about Taylor’s performance and vitality to the story and agency within her controlled chaos that ignites the best and worst in people, but we’ll save that for another time.
Similarly, Regina Hall‘s Deandra has even less screen time but no less impactful presence. Hall does not get enough credit for how rarely she misses, and even brief moments in “One Battle After Another” remind us of her pure talent and screen presence. She is particularly meaningful because she is the true bridge of the old generation jaded by the fight, her light dimmed by the failure to enact real change but still trying any way she can to make a difference. She is perhaps the most timely character, a true modern embodiment of how many of us in the US feel almost everyday waking up to breaking news that only reminds us that we are living a rising fascist hellscape and no amount of protests, posts or stances seem to be having any effect on slowing it down. In nothing more than looks alone, Hall conveys the exhaustive toll rebellion takes. Revolutions are taxing on those opposed to injustice, and fighting the good fight so rarely allows those on the frontline to ever see the fruits of their labored resistance.
The character depth imbued into each person we meet in “One Battle After Another” is spectacular, but requires some studied examinations to dig beneath the surface. Their meanings and purpose need to be mined, but beneath the titular protagonists seemingly straightforward (and some would argue underdeveloped) veneer is a well of thematic elegance simmering in all of them. Let’s talk about the men now and we’ll save the woman of the hour for last. Leonardo Dicaprio and Sean Penn have never been better, with Leo also culminating his career trajectory in Bob, a former revolutionary of the French 75 turned lost stoner dad forced to find and rescue his daughter and try to reclaim his fighting spirit. Except, he’s a goof and a complete burnout, the revolution has long passed him by and he has never been able to recover after the unexpected and harsh disappearance of his love, Perfidia. His whole being is keeping Willa (Chase Infiniti) safe from harm, the ulitmate girldad with all of the old man, generational gaps stuffed between them. Leo is so funny here, and makes some truly special choices that only he can pull off and make work.
PTA has always been one to get the best out of his actors, and “One Battle After Another” is no exception. Whatever you think of Penn- and boy oh boy does he give you a whole lot to chew on when he’s not performing – he’s been in kind of a listless state for the last 10 years or so. He’s dabbled in a few independent films that most have never heard of and hasn’t really reclaimed himself as the performer we’ve always known he can be. “One Battle After Another” is an announcement from Penn: he’s still got it and he’s going to remind us he’s one of the best movie stars working today. He is simply terrifying and pathetic in the same breath as Lockjaw, a racist militant with nothing but brute force at his disposal and a fetish for black woman, something he is incapable of reconciling with his white supremacist worldview and serves as a driving force for his unbridled villainy. He’s a pathetic, insecure man with nothing but power, and though not directly imitating anyone in particular, who ever you conjure in your mind when you read that sentence is probably correct.
Penn gives Lockjaw everything he has; from his awkward stance to seem more intimidating to his strange gait complete with platforms to feel taller to his gravelly voice tones that switch from whimpered growls to terrifying barks of yelling to again, seem intimidating but ultimately amounts to an incel playing soldier. “One Battle After Another” still tries to give him some humanity but not for empathy, more to demonstrate how those willing to strip themselves of it to gain more and more power end up empty handed in the end. And then there’s Benicio Del Toro’s Sensi Sergio, who shows up cool as a polar bear’s toenail and almost runs away with the film entirely. He is a stark contrast to Leo’s Bob, who is so paranoia and frantic and incapable of stopping to think for one second and that dynamic makes for one of the best buddy cop pairings you’ll see all year. Del Toro is just so excellent and magnetic here, and while he’s always a scene stealer in most things his particular hijacking here in this film is more than just admirable, it’s pretty incredible. There’s no one he needs to hijack from or elevate- and yet he does and you relish every moment you get with him.
His final scene speaks to so much about the core of the film’s ideas and messaging. Two things that stick out are 1. his representation of contrast of revolutionary tactics across generations. The French 75 are offensive in their approach, attacking the institutions outright hoping to bring about change by any means necessary through disruptive chaos. But Del Toro’s Sensi, fighting a different fight against the same powers that be 15 years later is defensive, choosing to use his community to undermine the systems through protective networks that keep their would be enemies in the dark rather than confront them violently at every turn. and 2. the calmness and assuredness with which he faces those systems is manifested in his final act of defiance. Not evading capture or even fighting authority, but knowing the systems so well and knowing that the people that need to be safe are already in safety he has no need for worry because this is a battle he’s already won. And he shows this with a little salsa dance and sly, drunken responses. It’s beautiful.
And last but certainly not least, Chase Infiniti as Willa arrives out of nowhere and cements herself as movie star in her first ever major appearance. It’s one thing to hold your own among some of the greats. It’s quite another to shine bright among them while they themselves are giving career best performances. This film rests on her shoulders; not just in her performance but both in theme and plot. She is the harbinger of the next generation, forced to both reckon with the sins of the father while also being the hope of the new day. She has to be the teenager to paranoid burnout father, a fiery reflection of her mother, a pursued object of a dastardly villain, and the new revolutionary as she comes of age all that same time. It is an unbelievable task to ask of any actor, and Infiniti passes the greatest test with flying colors. This is a remember the name performance from Infiniti, a moment she never once fails to seize and just something truly special to witness.
I know I didn’t give any plot synopsis in this review, because frankly I don’t think it needs one. You’re better off just letting the film happen to you in real time rather than trying to peice it together beforehand. What I will close with is this: we need movies like this now more than ever. The time of not being able to have films like this in America, one that is built on anti-fascism and a rallying cry against authoritarian regimes is closer than you realize and we cannot take it for granted. There is a palpable hopelessness in the air as we hurdle toward the point of no return, and “One Battle After Another” is just that; a reminder that the war against oppression is never won in a singular clash, just like power of the oppressors isn’t sustained by singular atrocities. To win, we need community and strength in numbers, but we also need to remember that it is going to be one battle after another, one generation after another all uniting for a common cause but taking as many different approaches as we can to win as many small battles that can be won.
“One Battle After Another” may just be a man searching for his daughter ala “The Searchers,” and thats absolutely baked into its framework. But it is also exactly what we need to hear right now, and though a hybrid of modern problems approached with 60s revolutionary ideas, it is no less direct in the call for us to do whatever we can. Ocean waves to protect those in need, the next generation providing voice for the voiceless, the ones left to survive from battles past forgive themselves and place their hopes in others to do better than they did. It’s all there, deeply rich with timely cries for change. We didn’t even talk about the Christmas Adventurers, but we’ll have to save it for another time.
I’ll end with this: a tweet from Timothy Barrett that reads “The thesis of One Battle After Another is this: Fascists may have all the power and artillery at their disposal, but it’s in service of absolutely nothing. Regular people, for all their shortcomings, have something they’ll never be able to obtain – life and love.”
Crack open a Modelo and get to fighting. This fascism ain’t going away without fight and it’s on us to send it packing.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
“One Battle After Another” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
