"One Battle After Another" - PTA's Political and Paternal Grand-Slam Revolution

[the following review is spoiler-free]

Epics are not new territory for Paul Thomas Anderson. Ever since Boogie Nights, even his shorter films seem to have a sprawling, seemingly impossible scale to them. There also are no two that are exactly alike, with thematics, time periods, and characters changing almost at the drop of a hat. One Battle After Another keeps this trend going with PTA finally exploring one of the only things he hasn’t touched yet, and one that I’ve been desperate for him to do: being a parent in the godforsaken year of our lord 2025. And it’s somehow, even for our expectations for him, even better than you’d imagine.

Leonardo DiCaprio leads the film as Bob Ferguson, an ex-political revolutionary whose family is being stalked by Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn). When serious threat is thrown towards his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), Bob takes matters into his own hands to reunite with his daughter, and hopefully even Willa’s mother (Teyana Taylor). 

The one factor that has ever so slightly held Paul Thomas Anderson back with many of his previous films is the largely undeserved claim of inaccessibility. His films are niche, auteurist, and slow-paced, and for whatever reason, that seems to turn people (and Academy voters) away. However, with One Battle After Another he has made his most easily accessible film yet, and one that hopefully after 11 Oscar nominations, this may finally land him a win. 

My money right now would be on Adapted Screenplay, because Anderson, like always, is operating on a level here that very few writers before him have reached. The film is part Taken, part Mad Max, part Three Stooges, part 70s political thriller, and never once does it feel like it’s struggling to juggle any of these traits. One Battle After Another also may be his funniest work yet. There are several extended sequences in the film that feel as if they are building to one joke, and every time it happens, the laughter in my theater overpowered the sound system. 

Clocking in at 162 minutes, the film is paced to utter perfection. The first half hour or so functions as a sort of extended prologue to the narrative, and it jumps in time quite a lot, for many it will move a bit too fast. There was a part of me that was concerned about where we were heading. But by the time I was able to even form that thought, PTA himself (who was actually at my screening, and sat in front of me. Not to brag, but I’m totally gonna) got out of his seat, grabbed me by my shirt collar, threw me over the aisle wall, stomped on my chest, and spit in my face for ever doubting him. 

One Battle After Another is an adrenaline powered thrill-fest. Amidst all of the brilliant comedy that the film has in every scene, there is an undeniable, almost physically palpable sense of urgency throughout the runtime. Sean Penn gives hands-down his best performance in years. Many are already shouting out his Best Supporting Actor chances, and for how much he is serving Squidward in this (unironically, and complimentary), I think it would be one of the most daring, deserving wins in recent memory. 

I’m not going to spend much time talking about the other key players in the film because everyone gives some of their best work here. Chase Infiniti, however, I need to highlight. This is an utterly spectacular debut performance, and one that serves as one of the loudest announcements of a voice to stay in recent memory. She has to hold her own against several industry titans in this film, and not only does she do that, she makes her other performers better through her own work. 

I can’t believe I’ve gone this far in the review without mentioning the indescribably goofy, singular score by Johnny Greenwood. It’s hard to place amongst his previous work due to how versatile his compositions are, but rest assured One Battle After Another has some of his most unique songs to date. We knew from the teaser trailer that it was likely going to be a symphony of chaos, but I was blown away at how little I was able to follow along with, or predict a future rhythm in each and every track. 

The bottom line is, this is the easiest film for me this year since Sinners to recommend to everyone I know. There is truly something for everyone here, and I implore you all to go in as blind as possible. As is the case with all of PTA’s films, the trailers actually do a great job at not revealing much of anything crazy, but even still. This is PTA with a big budget, car chases, Leo making funny faces, a Johnny Greenwood score, and Benicio Del Toro being Benicio Del Toro. I could not have asked for anything else with this, and I hope it does the same for you. It hits theaters next Friday, September 26th. Make it a priority.