One Battle After Another: Complex, Chaotic, Combustible

One Battle After Another Movie Review

The fascinating new film by Paul Thomas Anderson The fascinating new film by Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another," which is loosely based on the best-selling 1990 novel Vineland. This cinematic piece encapsulates Anderson's signature storytelling, set against a charged socio-political backdrop. It offers a profound commentary on the tumultuous cultural landscape of America, with a particular focus on the struggles faced by immigrants and the revolutionary violence they encounter.

The narrative also delves into the life of a washed-out revolutionary, Ghetto Pat Coulhon (the infinitely talented Leonardo Di Caprio), who lives in a state of paranoid seclusion under an assumed identity, Bob. He is joined by his spirited daughter, Willa Ferguson (the wonderful Chase Infiniti), following his separation from his wife, Perfidia Beverly Hills (feisty Teyana Taylor) in a feisty performance), a decorated war hero. The plot thickens when an old adversary, Steve Lockjaw (portrayed by the absolutely terrific Sean Penn), resurfaces after 16 years and captures Willa. This incites Bob, the protagonist, to embark on a desperate quest of rescue, regain and retaliate.

Anderson's "One Battle After Another" is a gripping exploration of revolution, identity, and the relentless pursuit of freedom – soaked with an incessant and absurdist, anarchic humour that arms and runs as a shadow to its three-hour narrative. The last thirty minutes of action that takes place over the exquisitely shot, unforgiving, barren and ‘crest-and-trough’ like highways is unpredictable and thrilling. The beauty of PTA film lies in its intense socio-political and troubled setting and the commentary that germs from its conflicted characters, so rooted in the milieu.

In a role that lends dopamine to the film’s sass and smarts, Leonardo is purely compelling. Bob’s sloth and his vulnerability is wonderfully portrayed and foils beautifully against the ferocity and innocence of his daughter. Chase is superb as Willa and she owns the climactic portions of the film that finds its real heartbeat in the father-daughter relationship.

Sean Penne as the desperate Sergeant is bound to leave a lasting impression on its audience – His Lockjaw is eccentric, eclectic and with a fetish for the erotic. Infact, the film’s political anatomy and voice on the current situation is a striking reflection of Lockjaw’s lust for power and ambitions.  

I go with 4 stars out of 5 for ‘One Battle After Another’. In his voracious and vivid filmography, PTA has studied oil men, cult leaders and other characters – but OBAA will remain as an exciting and a highly blunt thesis that can have both funny and stinging implications.

A Ghoulardi Film Company Production Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, ‘One Battle After Another’ is running in theaters near you.