Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA) is, without question, one of the most prolific filmmakers working today. Just look at the list of absolute bangers, and masterpieces in his filmography: Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), Phantom Thread (2017), and Licorice Pizza (2021).
That’s a brilliant body of work.
So needless to say, I was beyond excited for this latest PTA project. One Battle After Another is loosely based on the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. It’s also the biggest-budgeted and most action-packed film of Anderson’s career — which is not exactly what he’s known for. And I’m all for it.
The story centers on Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio), a bomb expert and former member of a revolutionary group known as The French 75. The group takes its name from the famous early 20th-century artillery weapon that revolutionized modern warfare. Right from the opening scenes, it becomes clear that this group exists to create chaos, disrupt systems, and challenge power.
The film opens with a daring raid. Members of The French 75 break into a military-run detention camp holding immigrants and release them from captivity. During the operation we meet Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), a key leader within the group and Bob’s romantic partner. During the raid she encounters Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn), a dangerous man who immediately becomes both fascinated and obsessed with her.
Time passes…..
Eventually Perfidia is captured by Lockjaw. Under pressure, she becomes a government informant, giving up the names and locations of key members of The French 75. One by one they are hunted down. At the same time, Perfidia discovers she is pregnant. Consumed by guilt over betraying her friends and ideals, she gives birth to a daughter, Willa, and later escapes witness protection to disappear somewhere across the continent.
Fast forward, 16 years later, Bob is living in hiding with Willa (Chase Infiniti), trying to stay off the government’s radar. But as expected, the past has a way of catching up.
This is where the real meat of the story begins.
Colonel Lockjaw has become even more radicalized. He is now attempting to gain membership in The Christmas Adventure Club — an exclusive, secretive organization of white nationalists. This shadowy group is powerful, well-funded, and deeply embedded in both government and corporate structures. The film paints a disturbing portrait of how elite networks operate quietly at the top of the social hierarchy. Sean Penn delivers one of the best performances of his career here. Colonel Lockjaw is a chilling character, embodying many of the darker impulses shaping today’s political climate.
Leonardo DiCaprio is fantastic as Bob — a once-committed revolutionary who now lives like a paranoid burnout, perpetually stoned while trying to raise his daughter. The character almost feels like a darker, more volatile version of The Big Lebowski. The supporting cast is excellent. Teyana Taylor’s Perfidia is captivating, although I wish the film had given her more screen time to explore the character’s inner conflict, and life in hiding. Tony Goldwyn and Regina Hall are both solid as always.
But the real scene-stealer is Benicio Del Toro as Sergio St. Charles.
Sergio runs an underground immigrant support network — something like a modern-day railroad for people trying to survive within a hostile system. He helps displaced communities rebuild their lives while operating quietly in the shadows. His calm, almost Zen-like demeanor contrasts beautifully with Bob’s frantic paranoia. The chemistry between Del Toro and DiCaprio creates some of the most compelling scenes in the entire film.
Visually, the film is stunning.
The desert car chase sequence, shot with cameras mounted to the front of the vehicles as they weave through hills and terrain, is thrilling and chaotic in the best possible way. Remarkably, this marks the third PTA film shot using VistaVision cameras, giving the film a rich, textured visual depth.
One Battle After Another ultimately plays like a revolutionary political satire — loud, chaotic, absurd, and unapologetically confrontational. It’s a film about resistance, about speaking out, and about pushing back against the machinery of power. And in many ways, it feels eerily relevant, and uncomfortably close to reality.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (2025). FOUR OUT OF FIVE POPCORN BAGS🍿🍿🍿🍿
Rod Rioja 