One Battle After Another: The BRWC Review. By Daniel Rester.

One of the greatest and most versatile American filmmakers is back with a new film that couldn’t be more timely. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another holds a mirror up to the divisiveness and hypocrisy surrounding various views in the United States, managing to satirize and seriously examine its topics at the same time. It has some rough edges, and isn’t quite on the Mount Rushmore of Anderson masterpieces, but One Battle After Another remains gripping, entertaining, and thought-provoking throughout.

The set-up of the film involves the actions of the members of a group called the French 75. They have goals such as freeing locked-up immigrants, bombing political offices, and more. Two of the members, explosives expert Pat (Leonardo DiCaprio) and strong-willed Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), have a child. While Pat wants them to become responsible parents, Perfidia digs deeper into the causes she believes in.

Years later, Pat and his now-grown daughter Charlene (Chase Infiniti) are lying low and using fake names when Pat’s past catches up to them. It comes in the form of Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn), a military officer who was against the French 75 but had an obsession with Perfidia. After Lockjaw abducts Charlene (going as “Willa”), Pat (going as “Bob”) must put his irresponsible and lazy behavior aside and tune into his past radical side in order to get his daughter back.

Though it is loosely based on the 1990 novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon, One Battle After Another mostly takes place in modern times. By jumping from the past to the present in the plot, Anderson shows how fights for causes can move up and down and in a cyclical fashion. As one character states, battles and revolutions for freedom “move in waves.”

Anderson explores a lot of subjects in One Battle After Another, from racism to xenophobia to fatherhood. While the film is politically charged and not too subtle, it also isn’t preachy. Anderson instead opts to show instead of tell most of the time, with the film containing a lot of moving pieces and action. When he does have characters share information and views, it is often with dialogue exchanges that contain hilariously absurd touches. For example, a white supremacist group in the film has a secret codename that is “The Christmas Adventurers Club.” The film shouldn’t be mistaken for a comedy, but Anderson’s use of levity at times is welcome.

One Battle After Another favors plot momentum over deep character dives (this isn’t Anderson in There Will Be Blood (2007) or The Master (2012) mode), but the characters who are here are still well drawn. Pat/Bob plays like a variation of “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski (1998), Charlene/Willa is a teen who has to learn to grow up fast and could teach her dad a thing or two as well, and Lockjaw is a complex villain full of contradictions. Those three are by far the most interesting, but supporting characters like a sensei named Sergio (Benicio del Toro) and a rebel named Deandra (Regina Hall) get their moments too.

These characters come alive from a terrific cast. Top to bottom, everyone is great. Penn and DiCaprio might dominate the spotlight with their stardom, but newcomer Infiniti and even the bit players don’t shirk their roles. I do wish some of the supporting actors had more to do at times though, as some excellent actors like Wood Harris and Tony Goldwyn only show up briefly.

DiCaprio gets to be loose and funny here a lot of the time, unafraid of his character being the butt of the joke in many scenes. An ongoing bit about Pat forgetting a password is endlessly amusing. DiCaprio also knows when to get dramatic and heartfelt though. It’s a wonderful “dad mode” performance all around.

Penn is arguably the standout of the film. He finds a perfect balance in making Lockjaw both pathetic and terrifying. Taylor and del Toro have some killer moments too, but it’s Penn who will probably get the lion’s share of supporting awards attention in the coming months.

Anderson directs the hell out of One Battle After Another, as to be expected. He has had a handful of action scenes throughout his filmography, but never this many or at this level. Audiences know he can handle chaotic character interactions, but it’s welcome to see him put his stamp on visuals like large protests and intense car chases since those are not normally in his repertoire.

Cinematographer Michael Bauman, editor Andy Jurgensen, and composer Jonny Greenwood are all essential in delivering Anderson’s vision here. Bauman shot the film using VistaVision cameras, which lends the wide images plenty of texture; he captures both gritty urban interiors and sun-baked, Western-esque landscapes with a great eye. Jurgensen makes the 162-minute runtime fly by with his precision, and his work especially shines during a car chase involving a road going through rolling hills. Greenwood electrifies the movie with his score, which has both offbeat and rich sections with pianos and strings.

The first act of One Battle After Another can feel choppy at times as it rushes through the actions of the French 75 and Pat and Perfidia’s relationship. Some of the plot threads involving supporting characters like Sergio and Deandra are also left dangling by the end of the film. A few extra minutes added in the right places would have been useful in order to iron out the kinks. Those complaints are just small flaws in a magnificent film though.

One Battle After Another is yet another daring entry in Anderson’s filmography. It gives the audience laughs, thrills, and plenty to chew on as it portrays both ugly and hopeful aspects of American culture both past and present. It’s one of the must-see films of 2025.

Rating: 9/10

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