5.0 out of 5.0 stars
It has been almost 30 years since writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson exploded onto the scene, but the visionary filmmaker hasn’t lost an ounce of his subversive talent. “One Battle After Another,” Anderson’s 10th and newest feature film, is an exceptionally fun and thought-provoking watch about the push and pull of political change in the U.S.
The film is loosely based on the novel “Vineland” by Thomas Pynchon, whose other work, “Inherent Vice,” was the basis for Anderson’s seventh film. This adaptation follows Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio), a leftist revolutionary forced into hiding with his daughter Charlene (Chase Infiniti) under the names Bob and Willa Ferguson after her mother (Teyana Taylor) is arrested. Years later, he must reunite with his former group — called the French 75 — after they rescue Willa from a ruthless military colonel, Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn).
From the second the film starts, the audience is confronted with timely imagery and dialogue. The tense opening sequence tracks the French 75 as they bomb and evacuate a detention center at the country’s southern border, foreshadowing a later subplot involving immigration. While this initial operation is successful, it leads to the arrest of Taylor’s character, Perfidia Beverly Hills, who then identifies group members to the police.
The film pointedly portrays the post-betrayal French 75 as a disorganized, endangered group under constant threat of capture by the government. While the film pokes fun at Calhoun’s hippie lifestyle and paranoia, its most acerbic humor is reserved for Penn’s Colonel Lockjaw, a tirelessly cruel but thin-skinned White supremacist. It is crystal clear that Anderson despises the character’s ideals, even if his scenes are sickly fun to watch.
In fact, the whole film is riddled with humor, which is par for the course for an Anderson film. He has made everything from quiet period romances to epic Westerns to perplexing psychological dramas, but it is always easy to laugh at his quirky dialogue and idiosyncratic characters. This film is no exception, and its joke-ridden script is brought to life by terrific performances all around.
DiCaprio is excellent as Bob, perfectly portraying his anxious hesitancy over Perfidia (and eventually Willa’s) outspoken beliefs. He is thoroughly watchable as the driving force of the film, and the audience is instantly along for the ride as he begins his madcap chase against Lockjaw. Penn is highly entertaining as Lockjaw, both terrifyingly despicable but humorously larger-than-life.
Taylor is nothing less than electrifying as the fearless Perfidia. Any actor who can steal a scene from DiCaprio deserves to be commended; she does it practically every time she is on screen. She is particularly excellent in a scene where she argues with Bob about their family life. While he emphasizes their baby’s needs, she fiercely maintains that the revolution has not become any less necessary.
In a rare dramatic performance, Regina Hall plays Deandra, a French 75 member who harbors Willa from the police. She conveys her character’s resilience and eventual defeat with a grounded sensitivity. In her feature film debut, Infiniti handles the difficult role of Willa with ease. Her physicality in the more intense scenes contrasts with her quieter, frustrated moments with her father in a performance that holds the sprawling film together. Additionally, Benicio Del Toro is as enjoyable as ever as Willa’s unassailably calm sensei who assists Bob in escaping while managing a safe house for undocumented immigrants. Tony Goldwyn is similarly funny as the leader of a cheery but chilling White supremacist group called the Christmas Adventurers.
The score by Jonny Greenwood and editing by Andy Jurgensen, both frequent collaborators of Anderson’s, propel the film forward and dare the audience to even think about looking away. At 161 minutes, the film is certainly not a quick watch, but its runtime is more than justified by its thrilling final sequence: an extensive car chase and shootout between Bob, Willa and Lockjaw. Anderson’s direction is steady and engaging throughout; every frenetic chase and explosion is as carefully shot as the simple conversations between characters.
The script is equally deft in its construction of the epic story, relaying information and plot points clearly. Political stories can sometimes be jumbled in their exposition, especially ones with this many characters, but the film does not fall into that trap. It is a well-executed action thriller with a healthy dose of rich thematic depth and character development.
The film could certainly be enjoyed as a crowd-pleasing thrill ride, but its undercurrent of political ideas is no accident. Willa’s anger at her mother’s betrayal of her values informs her actions in the film’s final act, in which the authoritarian antagonists are defeated. The film ends with Bob in full support of his daughter’s actions, hoping she and her peers will finally make a difference. Anderson is sending a clarion call to the audience to honor their morals and fight for change, invoking the disruptive attitude that helped propel him to success all those years ago.
