It feels so good to have Paul Thomas Anderson making big, bold, ambitious movies again. Not that he’s ever slacked, but his adaptation One Battle After Another finds him painting on the widest canvas in years, delivering what could be the best movie of the year. Based loosely on Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, the film is all at once a sprawling chase thriller, a fierce political call-to-arms, a stoner comedy, and a heartfelt father/daughter story. That it also boasts one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s finest performances, and the arrival of a future star in newcomer Chase Infiniti, is just more reason that you should drop everything and see this movie right now.
One Battle After Another comes out of the gates hot, with a kinetic opening sequence that will speak volumes to the politically active out there right now battling against fascism. It’s when we meet Bob Ferguson (DiCaprio), a member of the anti-fascist resistance group known as The French 75. Along with a ferocious Teyana Taylor as his wife Perfidia Beverly Hills, and other members played by Wood Harris, Alana Haim, Regina Hall, and Shayna McHayle, the group launches raids on ICE facilities, robs banks, and commits other brazen acts against injustice. This is PTA at the most visceral he’s been in ages, showcasing stealthy heist sequences, blistering chases, intense shootouts, and the lethal consequences of such acts of defiance. One of those consequences involves Sean Penn’s Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, a battle-hardened racist who becomes sexually obsessed with Perfidia. The contradiction in his feelings for her, not to mention their political ideologies, is never far away and is an avenue for the film’s perilous action and much of its humor.
The film continually evolves, adding emotional layers, subplots, and colorful characters seemingly at every turn. Bob’s life as a rebel gets a dose of reality with the birth of his and Perfidia’s daughter, Willa (Infiniti). He’s ready to settle down and be a family, but Perfidia’s mother calls her a “runner” for a reason. She refuses to be caged in by domesticity. She’s not done fighting, and before long, it’s just Bob and Willa living off the grid under fake names. He becomes a paranoid stoner and overprotective parent, while Willa is just trying to be a normal teen who hangs out with her friends, practices karate (Benicio Del Toro is a hoot as a literal rebel sensei), and tries to look out for her old man. But it’s also clear that she has a bit of her mother’s defiant spirit in her.
Legacy, in particular the legacy of a parent passed down to a child, is at the heart of One Battle After Another. Bob and Perfidia fought for a just cause and they did it with extreme prejudice. Those actions can’t easily be taken back and the repercussions are passed down to Willa, who didn’t ask for any of it. But they could also be seen as heroes, and maybe some of that can be passed down to her, as well. There’s also jealousy and simple human weakness. Lockjaw is envious of Bob right from the start, but he’s also obsessed with joining a secret cabal of white supremacist elites known as the Christmas Adventurers, a ridiculous group led by Tony Goldwyn. If you looked up smarmy white elitist prick on Google, it might be Goldwyn’s face that pops up first. If Lockjaw is to become a member, he’ll need to wipe out his past mistakes, putting Bob and Willa in his crosshairs again.
Over the course of nearly three hours, One Battle After Another defies simple description. It bounds effortlessly from gripping moments of tension, to ludicrous hijinks, to quiet moments of tenderness between loved ones and brothers-in-arms. In Lockjaw, there’s also a fair share of stuff that will make your skin crawl. He is such a despicable character, a man who is both terrifying and absurd, consumed by greed, frailty, and hatred.
Penn’s performance as Lockjaw is a standout, in particular the way he moves like he’s got a stick up his ass, but it’s DiCaprio who is the film’s emotional heartbeat. As Bob, DiCaprio delivers comedy and anxiety, flopping around on the floor and begging for a pair of nunchucks one moment, to fearing for his lost daughter the next. It’s a role that asks DiCaprio to be a lot and to shift gears at a moment’s notice, and of course, he nails it because that’s what he does. Infiniti confidently holds her own opposite two heavyweights in DiCaprio and Penn, while Taylor’s fiery performance reminds us that her startling breakout in A Thousand and One was no fluke. She’s incredible, a force to be reckoned with to such a degree that we understand why Lockjaw simply can’t let her go.
Aided by Michael Bauman’s sweeping cinematography and Jonny Greenwood’s riveting score (with a couple of choice eclectic needle drops), One Battle After Another builds steadily to a remarkable final act featuring one of the best car chases in recent memory. Filled with quick bursts of violence, shocking betrayals, disorienting rolling hills, and more, the finale takes all of the film’s complexities and boils them down into an emotionally satisfying conclusion.
While One Battle After Another leans heavily into left-wing politics and has a point of view on America’s current authoritarian bent, it is ultimately a story about a father’s love for his daughter and his reconciling with the past to build her a better future. Of course, a better future is something that one has to fight for. From one generation to the next, one battle after another, it never ends. You won’t find another movie this year that feels so alive, so essential, so charged with the power of love and revolution. Don’t miss it!
One Battle After Another opens in theaters September 26th.
