This review may contain spoilers!
One Battle After Another is an American action-thriller epic loosely adapted from Thomas Pynchon's novel: "Vineland". Follows Bob (formerly Pat), an ex-revolutionary of the far-left French 75, and his daughter Willa, who have been hiding out for years after the arrest of Bob's former revolutionary partner. When a militant force bears down on them in a bid to take Willa, a resulting tooth-and-nail fight for survival ensues.
Art often reflects the world around us; that's a simple outlook, but it tends to ring true. In One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson holds up protagonists from a far-left revolutionary group, criminals who plant bombs and rob banks to stick it to billionaires and a system that actively works against minorities and the disenfranchised. This group is set against a peppering of antagonists - the bizarre satirical parody of the Ku Klux Klan referred to as the Christmas Adventurer's Club, and the far-right militant Colonel Lockjaw. The early conflict of this film is not only foundational but presents a cycle of conflict, an epic and sadistic struggle that neither side ultimately triumphs within. We are left with a child who has a vague parentage and a former revolutionary who was already halfway out the door. The film cuts forward just over fifteen years, and we see how the former revolutionary, Bob, has regressed into a paranoid stoner figure. He has had some triumphs, like supporting the city he lives in becoming something of a 'Sanctuary City' for illegal immigrants. In spite of this, his relationship with his daughter, Willa, is rather frayed. Yet when Lockjaw reignites the conflict, we get a more personalised story of revenge in the form of a manhunt for Willa. But this is no redemptive story about a father rescuing his teenage daughter. Bob barrels along throughout the film in an effort to save his child, but the strength of the film lies elsewhere. We get to watch Willa constantly fight against the path she has been put upon. This protagonist is a fighter due to the skills she has as a result of her father's training or support, yet she never asked for this battle. Willa is her own hero ultimately, but she rescues herself from a conflict she never began. Willa becomes answerable for the sins of her parents, irrespective of whether or not she had a choice. Watching her still choose to continue that cycle at the end of the feature, as Bob definitively moves away completely from the life of the revolutionary, is an incredibly well-rounded conclusion to this masterful script.
Paul Thomas Anderson is a master of the craft, one of the true filmmaking greats, and this can be seen in every technical element of One Battle After Another. This film is wide-spanning and often in motion too; the camera glides through scenes with the intention to pull you directly into the world of the scene. The final car chase sequence is one of the most tense sequences of the year. I found this film felt almost choreographed; every moment felt entirely considered and was cut together very neatly. The score also played to this strength, accompanying the moments of anxiety, tension and fear superbly as guitar strings were frantically plucked. I also really adored the film soundtrack toying with political stance as moral action, The Jackson 5's 'Ready Or Not (Here I Come)' was ringing through my head walking away from this.
Teyana Taylor, who played Perfidia, is a force to be reckoned with; Taylor is a woman born to fight for her own brand of justice in this. Sean Penn, who played Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, is one of the players well and truly worth watching in this feature; Penn and DiCaprio are battling it out for best performance across the whole piece. Chase Infiniti, who played Willa, is a phenomenal up-and-coming young actress; Infiniti's descent into a world of high stakes and violence is so gritty and real. Benicio Del Toro, who played Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, portrays a tired yet professional air as his world goes to hell in a handbasket; I loved Del Toro's incredibly dry wit in this. Tony Goldwyn, who played Virgil Throckmorton, has an incredible ability to draw forth a charismatic character; the part that really made this thing sing was that he also managed to bleed a sense of danger into his line delivery. James Raterman, who played Danvers, was such a quiet scene stealer; Raterman's interrogation scenes were a highlight of the film in my eyes.
However, the best performance came from Leonardo DiCaprio, who played Bob. This was a character who was spellbound with the thrill of revolution in his youth. He wanted to rebel less for the cause but for the thrill and the pleasure. DiCaprio and Taylor together are fiery; it's a hot relationship that feels consuming. Watching Bob transition from free-wheeling freedom fighter to concerned Dad was an appropriate turn. Across the rest of the film, DiCaprio paints Bob as a paranoid, stoned man who is caught in the limbo of his past life and his desire to be a good father. It's often hilarious watching Bob fail at being the hero of this story; he barely comes out ahead in his pursuit to save his daughter. Yet, DiCaprio presents Bob's love for his child as impassioned and frantic, a huge drive to reunite. Bob is a figure who burned bright but left a lot for others to answer for; his inability to recapture the image of the heroic revolutionary shows the burden he has left for his daughter to carry.
Paul Thomas Anderson knows how to chase a colossal and compelling script that often reflects heavily on our current state of being. One Battle After Another has a lot of lofty and accurate statements to make about the political divisiveness and conflict we see in the world right now. But it also gets more chaotic than it really needs to at times. This is a film that skates right along the edge of the absurd in a few scenes, making for moments where you wonder the intention the film has or where it might go next. Sometimes this method results in a loss of focus, and the film's throughline is lost.
Regina Hall, who played Deandra, is quite a tame character amongst the main revolutionaries; she never really feels as driven, which is strange considering the nature of the role. Eric Schweig, who played Avanti, is just so flat in this role; Schweig seems almost lifeless throughout the feature. John Hoogenakker, who played Tim Smith, is one of the more outlandish characters in this film; Hoogenakker's role being such a bent out of shape hitman seemed a tough sell at times.
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of those great film director maestros who knows how to pull a piece together into something chaotic and artistic. I would give One Battle After Another a 9/10.
