One Battle After Another (2025)

This story mainly focuses on a former revolutionary father (Oscar-Winner Leonardo DiCaprio) and his daugther (Chase Infiniti) in the midst of an ongoing revolution when suddenly both are on the run from a determined government agent (Oscar-Winner Sean Penn) who initially arrested their former revolutionary wife/mother (Teyana Taylor) sixteen years prior.  But of course this new highly acclaimed satirical political thriller/domestic drama from Multiple Oscar-nominee (but not yet winner) Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, The Phantom Thread, Licorice Pizza, Magnolia) is about MUCH more than that....or is it?  Regardless this film almost defies genre and also co-stars Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Wood Harris, and Alaina Haim among several others.  Let's see if this lives up the hype....

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

Transcript

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER - 2025

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, D.W. Moffett, Paul Grimstad, Dijon Duenas, Alaina Haim , Kevin Tighe, John Hoogenakker, Eric Schweig, April Grace, Jim Downey, and Tony Goldwyn

Genre:  Satirical Chase Thriller/Family Drama (Audio clip)

As some one who rode the PTA train early absolutely loving his first three movies but have found myself admiring more than actually enjoying every film he has done since then - except The Phantom Thread which I still haven't seen - I walked into this with some trepidation. You have a fantastic cast, an intriguing premise, and apparently by far THE biggest budget he has ever worked with....but would this leave me with a chilly feeling like The Master or There Will Be Blood? 🤔

It might even seem blasphemous to describe those two films as "chilly" considering how now both are almost universally regarded as masterpieces. I get it...both films are exquisitely shot, take bold narrative choices, and feature genuinely astounding performances from the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, PSH, Amy Adams, Paul Danao, and in what I still believe is the best performance of a his already impressive career, Joachin Phoenix. The craftsmanship was there but sorry I didn't find myself particularly caring about any character on screen.

And the set-up for PTA's story here focuses on a father (a former revolutionary) desperately seeking his daughter in the midst of an ongoing (though mostly dormant at the true kick-off point of the story) revolution RIGHT here in the US against a fictitious government rounding up any one who appears to be a migrant....which feels VERY familiar. 🙄 Loosely adapted from Thomas Pinchon's Vineland, PTA has crafted an epic chase thriller which at least ON PAPER should grab you by the throat....so did I feel for his characters this time around? Hell yeah I did! 

I thoroughly enjoyed just about every minute of this anarchic, bat-shit 162 minute fever dream even if it IS (like most PTA joints, even the ones I love) probably a TAD bloated by about 10 to 15 minutes....well at least upon first watch. PTA just loves lingering on his characters which I can respect. It's also very clear off the bat that he has more toys to play with this time....crowds, go-for-broke stunts, steadicams following characters through several rooms, and (all seemingly practical) extended sequences of cars being driven WAY too fast. ;) 

There's no shortage of spectacle and it's so convincingly shot (with piercing sound design to back it up) that I couldn't help but wince at a few points at the Dolby screen I saw this at. And gratefully to complement that spectacle, there a lot of crackling (often funny) dialogue delivered via genuinely heartfelt performances by a cast which is at the top of its game. Teyana Taylor pretty much owns whichever scenes she's in as Perfidia, the unofficial leader of the "French 75" revolutionary group...she plays such a convincing blend of fierce, sensual, and troubled that it seems to not only leaves a mark on the story whenever she's not on screen but several characters as well.

Sean Penn has always been adept at sleazy villains and he just RUNS with that as Colonel Lockjaw who's leading a splinter federal enforcement group on the hunt for our protagonists...he's basically this story's Javert sporting a freaky white comb-over which kind of becomes a character on to itself. 😉 Regina Hall kills it as fellow revolutionary Deandra and inadvertently becomes the conscience of the movie. Of course, there's BENICIO who's having a great year (with this and The Phonecian Scheme)...he delivers a deceptively tricky performance as Sensei Sergio a karate instructor who also moonlights as a top-flight escape planner for the revolution. His character is just SO unflappably calm no matter how crazy things get around him, it's infectious to watch. :) 

But of course the two main leads who truly carry this movie are relative newcomer Chase Infiniti playing the teenage Willa and LEO playing her beleaguered father Bob, former revolutionary and now pretty much perpetually brain-fried with an almost comic constant diet of dope and alcohol. 🤭 The story truly kicks in with them now living in a sanctuary city in California, hiding from the authorities under made-up identities. Their relationship is the core of the movie and of course once Penn's Lockjaw comes calling to seek them out, that relationship becomes tested as they're both separately on the run. 

It's kind of amazing how DiCaprio and PTA have never collaborated before as these two just fit together perfectly! Few actors are MORE adept at playing desperate and frustrated with third parties they can't control than Leo. Also few filmmakers have been better at making that cinematic than Anderson.....think of Sandler over the phone in Punch Drunk Love, Julianne at the pharmacy in Magnolia, or Wahlberg at the recording studio in Boogie Nights. And that results in what are likely the funniest exchanges in the film as Bob is struggling mightily to break through the code-speak with some one over the phone from French 75 to simply find out a rendezvous point where his daughter might be....truly classic stuff! 😆(Audio clip) 

Even loaded with lots of humor, the film just builds up more steam with genuine pathos AND tension leading to a climax which truly had me on edge not just by virtue of the stakes involved but also the bravura manner in which it is filmed. 

And that leaves the politics of the film as one lingering question I had leaving this theater: is this really what you would refer to as a "message movie" or are PTA and crew just using modern discourse as a loaded colorful backdrop for what is essentially a pretty straightforward story? After just one viewing, I'm not completely sure. Undoubtedly, there will be several sequences throughout the film featuring migrants and nefarious law enforcement which will upset several folks on one side of today's ideological divide....while aggravating others who will see this as "propaganda." 😡  With regards to actual political COMMENTARY.....it's tricky as PTA eventually develops a unique subplot involving Penn's Lockjaw which heightens things quite a bit to satirical levels. SO many modern day parallels just can't be ignored but this DOES seem to take place within an alternative timeline of modern America with ZERO mentions of ICE, Trump, etc...  Overall for me, it's certainly something to think about. But that didn't lessen my enjoyment of this movie. It's likely one of PTA's best and one hell of a ride!

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

From a musical standpoint, this movie’s soundscape is QUITE busy filled with a variety of often seemingly on-the-nose – possibly from a satirical standpoint – needle-drops from the likes of Steely Dan, Jackson 5, Gil Scott-Heron, Survivor, and…..a VERY on-the-nose one used to kick off the closing credits but hey, it’s a catchy one and it helps leave things on a more hopeful note…..”American Girl” from Tom Petty. (Audio clip) 

But from a musical standpoint however, this film REALLY shines with its score coming from Oxford, England’s OWN virtuoso guitarist, keyboardist, AND composer – also a founding member of Radiohead – the Oscar-nominated Johnny Greenwood returning for his now SIXTH collaboration with PT Anderson.  To be honest, I have been somewhat mixed on his scores – they’re often off-kilter to the point of distraction – and this has SOME of that with a mix of brash piano, along with various wooded instruments.  But it also has some distinct themes and jus really works overall for the kind of sprawling story which PTA’s trying to tell…..my favorite selection likely occurs late in the first third of the movie over a montage of Perfidia and Bob raising their baby….sort of….this sequence doesn’t conclude the way you would usually expect.  There are definitely mixed emotions from those involved regarding this baby and the music reflects that brilliantly with staccato rhythm mixed with mournful strings – it’s fittingly called, “Baby Charlene.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

With regards to the talent on-screen, my biggest nit-pick would be that there are SEVERAL strong performances from some strong actors which I would have loved to just seen some more closure on.  Not gonna spoil any more than that….but let’s just say a closing montage taking briefly to the fates of these characters (as PTA has done in previous films) would have been mightily appreciated.  But no none of these actors involved were particularly wasted……

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Now about that final climax….I don’t want to give away too much as this came out but…..WOW.  Did you ever think that a two-lane desert highway could feel like a white knuckle ground-level rollercoaster?? That's pulled off here with aplomb and not only does it serve the story but it just becomes the cherry on top of a sundae already loaded with bravura action.  With great help from master DP Michael Bauman (The Phantom Thread, Iron Man, Nightcrawler), PTA's camera takes us to several jaw-dropping vantage points within the action which just make them stand out more.

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

In retrospect, I now find it VERY fitting that the teaser trailer for this movie apparently played before every initial screening of Sinners back in April….these two movies will always have some kind of weird linkage mainly because they came from the same studio (Warner Bros) and were both that modern rarity: original big budget films from major auteurs which were BOTH pretty big swings.  And no doubt through EVERY frame of this thing, PTA is taking a LOT of big swings….I think it gets a bit unwieldy at points, but most of those swings seem to connect.  The way he structured this, some genuinely bat-shit dialogue….it’s sprawling, often frenetic, at points messy, and yet still comes together as a surprisingly straightforward story focusing on just a few select characters.  It’s an undeniably idiosyncratic film from an idiosyncratic filmmaker….and for pulling that off as both writer and director with what I believe is his best film since Magnolia, Paul Thomas Anderson is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5 

JUST like when I first saw Sinners earlier this year, I’m leaving some room for that score to grow a bit upon more viewings….because frankly like Sinners, this is just A LOT of movie which can be hard to nail down as it also crosses several different genres.  Regardless, I can’t wait to see this again and to see it on the big screen no less…..check it out yourself on the biggest screen possible, 

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And that ends another GREEN ACRES, BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, & HOOTERVILLE JUNCTION review!