One Battle After Another

Even though corrupt and callous governments have always existed throughout the span of history, forms of resistance have also always risen to face such unjustness, whether it be in the form of the Hippie Movement during the 1960s and 70s, the suffragette movement during the late 19th century, the AIDS movement during the 1980s, and more recent causes like Black Lives Matter and anti-ICE protests, which have flourished in the United States due to the totalitarian, fascist nature of its current government. This would’ve made it the perfect time for Paul Thomas Anderson to release his latest film which was teeming with political commentary, the Warner Brothers-led action thriller, One Battle After Another, and even if it risked being alienated for its clear take of such a touchy subject, the results were more than worth it.

Former far-left revolutionary,  Pat Calhoun (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) has been out of the game for nearly sixteen years after he was forced into hiding when his wife and fellow revolutionary, Perfidia (played by Teyana Taylor) was captured and coerced into selling out other members of her crew by corrupt commanding officer, Steven Lockjaw (played by Sean Penn) in exchange for witness protection. With many of the members being gunned down or imprisoned, Pat was forced to adopt new names (now being called Bob) and relocate to the sanctuary city of Baktan Cross with his daughter renamed Willa (played by Chase Infiniti) whom now in the present feels suppressed and irritated by her dad’s overprotective nature and substance abuse. That paranoia may prove to be warranted however, as Lockjaw suddenly appears after all this time to finish them off, as he suspects Willa to be his biological child (spurned from a night with Perfidia years prior as part of their disturbed deal) and needs to have her taken care of if he wishes to become a part of the Christmas Adventures Club (a secret society of White Supremacists). Needing to get back in the fray with a mind no longer fit for code names and passwords, Bob needs to find his daughter before Lockjaw tracks her down and eliminates what he views as a ‘’stain’’ on his personhood.

While originally sounding pretty niche, One Battle After Another blossomed into a surprisingly prolific feature that captivated all audiences (whether critics or casuals) and offered an outstanding feature that surprisingly isn’t splintered by its heavily political and topical basis. While it failed to make any of its money back, the strong word of mouth and award buzz gave it a nice feather to entice viewers, who’ll be able to witness clean visuals, performances that nicely tows the line between caricature and authentic, a very engaging musical score, and quirky yet composed direction and scripting by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Being loosely inspired by the 1990 novel, Vineland, written by American author, Thomas Pynchon, there’s a stinging irony about a story that plainly stood as a callout of the rampant corruption present during Reagan’s second presidential run in the 1980s, being just as relevant during the mid-2020s as it was during its creation, with the subjects of criminalization, oppression and dehumanization still being present under new leadership,  and the tactics, agendas and even types of personalities responsible for these apprehensible acts remaining unchanged. While the book did receive praise for its subject matter and comic way of handling such bleak and critical topics, many argued it wasn’t the author’s best work and felt a little overly ambitious and scrambled, which is something this film thankfully doesn’t suffer with. While packed with enough content to smoothly sustain its three-hour running time and having multiple opportunities to lose track with its constant momentum and limited breathing time, the central focus of a father trying to save his daughter from both the figurative and literal demons of his past provide an emotional throughline that’ll keep audiences invested the entire time.

Paul Thomas Anderson has been responsible for many high-profile films that. while never performing strong at the box office, were applauded for their bold visual styles, psychologically rich characters and universally timeless and identifiable themes, and with One Battle After Another set to be the director’s most commercially successful film yet, it explains why he’s been getting so much attention for it. Anderson had previously adapted another of Pynchon’s work (that being the 2014 neo noir, Inherent Vice), and clearly understands how to capture the author’s uniquely quirky yet still believable tone, as this story is wonderfully constructed and delivered in a way that unabashedly exposes the darkness surrounding the cruel handling and profiling of anyone viewed as ‘’insurrectionists’’ in America and how those in control are often the most disturbed, but does so without losing its humanity and keeps an active, perky side that provides levity when it’s desperately required. Most of the characters are pretty colorful yet still feel like real people, the dialogue flows wonderfully and makes what could be boring sequences much more engaging, the mix of close-quarters and elaborate camerawork lets the movie come across as cinematic, yet gritty at the same time, and while the third act leaves a few loose threads and doesn’t conclude certain story and character arcs in the most fulfilling sense, the journey was exciting and gripping enough to make it all worthwhile.

While he may have lost some of his lustre now that his film appearances are more sparing, no one can deny that Leonardo DiCaprio is still a recognizable talent that has the potential to sell tickets, and it does undoubtedly feel like his position as the lead did draw some heads. While Paul Thomas Anderson is a respected director, and seeing some of the supporting cast like Regina Hall, Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro would’ve bolstered some interest, seeing someone like DiCaprio leading a new Warner Brothers movie during a year when the studio was continually hitting bullseyes, would’ve piqued the curiosity of casuals and roped in critics and cinephiles. His overall performance is quite strong, being saddled with a decent character of a man who formerly acted as a freedom fighter, yet gave it up to be a father and is now forced to get that old spark back, and DiCaprio is able to believable portray the frazzled mindset of this man in a way that breaths a lot of character but still comes across as sympathetic. While featuring some usual tropes that can be a little noticeable (he’s incapable of being in a film where he’s not shouting his head off), a majority of his performance is beneficial to the film, which is the case for most of the actors.

While the story does have strong themes, visuals, and direction, the people really seem to be at the forefront of why this film is so connectable and effective with its messaging, and this is true even for the voiceless supporting roles, all of whom feel genuine in the way they react to the surrounding chaos. The more focal roles have the benefit of featuring more depth and being played by strong performers, but it can be a little tragic when some aren’t given the amount of time needed to become truly great. This is the case for Teyana Taylor as Perfidia and Chase Infiniti as Willa, both of whom do a pretty great job from an acting standpoint and share great scenes with their co-stars yet aren’t explored to an extent that really digs into their fascinating perspectives and psyches. Taylor especially is hindered by limited screentime and a pretty abrupt exit from the film, but she does such a good job as this rebellious figure who’s so dedicated to the cause that it damages her relationships and even humanity, that it doesn’t prove that bothersome. Benicio del Toro is very likeable as a karate instructor who helps the lead and his community evade the prowling military forces, Regina Hall doesn’t stand out that much as another freedom fighter helping Willa escape her pursers, but she gets the job done, Sean Penn is surprisingly good as Steven Lockjaw and brings far more dimension and plausibility to what should be a ridiculous archetype, and people like Wood Harris, Alana Haim, Paul Grimstad, Shayna McHayle, Tony Goldwyn, and Starletta DuPois all bring a lot of life to their bit parts.

With a budget between the range of $130 million and $170 million dollars, this doesn’t feel like a film that required that much money (outside of needing to pay its top talent), but it does feel like the overall aesthetic and atmosphere is heightened thanks to how the film is visualized, edited and scored. One Battle After Another does a good job balancing between having a rough and gritty appearance thanks to some really intimate and slightly shaky camerawork from cinematographer, Michael Bauman, and a very stylish visual style thanks to some truly grand and cinematic shots that feel more involved and with higher effort than normal, but don’t come across as attention-seeking or pointless. It all combines into a look that can look flashy and even beautiful but also forces people to look at some of the unpleasantries head on (being at its strongest during some of the protests, heists or encampment scenes where they want everything on clear display).

While the editing by Andy Jurgensen already started off on a great note with the opening act seamlessly showcasing the backstory of these characters in a way that’s condescend and fast-paced without losing substance, there are also several moments later on that are very smoothly cut together that bring a frenetic spunk to what could be dull sequences (the final car chase is incredibly shot and edited together and results in a fantastic climax). The musical score composed by the increasingly impressive Jonny Greenwood is also full of zest and flavor, providing a piece that feels all over the place and seemingly lacks a defined melody, but in actuality forms into a wonderfully chaotic and animated piece that provides a punchy heartbeat for the film to follow, making the hectic moments more tense and more lively.

Evil governments are sadly always going to exist as long as scummy individuals are allowed to take control, but forms of resistance will also always be around to get in their path and prevent total control, so while it’s sad to reflect on this kind of cycle, it means that One Battle After Another will bizarrely stay relatively timeless regardless of when its viewed despite obvious modern-day parallels and its inception as a novel from the 70s. Given who was involved, the film was going to offer something good, but the manner in which it’s handled makes it much stronger than even most would’ve anticipated, with strong performances, lively visuals and music, and a script that knows the seriousness of what it’s presenting but can still have a sense of humor about itself to not just make the whole experience a soapbox. Some plot threads could’ve had stronger conclusions and some characters could’ve been expanded upon more, but otherwise, this is a cause definitely worth getting behind.