Bob is a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts.
(C) Warner Bros.
There's a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio's character, clearly out of practice with this kind of activity, rages at a fellow revolutionary over the phone. It’s undeniably a hilarious moment in the film. At the same time, it’s packed with so many layers that one could write a full op-ed about it.
That, in essence, is One Battle After Another: an epic and unabashedly funny action thriller from Paul Thomas Anderson that dares to explore contemporary times and invites the audience to soak it all in.
Auteurs often look to the past to comment on the present, which makes One Battle a refreshing change of direction. Its scope is so expansive it goes beyond the story the characters inhabit and the film matches that sense of scale so effectively that one character's dilemma almost seems to revolve around it.
While Leonardo DiCaprio is unsurprisingly great, the film features standout performances from Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Teyana Taylor. Penn makes his larger-than-life character all the more memorable. Del Toro shines, even in the film's quieter moments. Despite having a surprisingly limited role, Taylor commands the screen and I wanted more. Even Chase Infiniti makes a strong impression in her film debut.
With a runtime just under three hours, the film flies by. It never stops doing something interesting, whether through its narrative or simply the scenery, which makes it remarkably accessible. In terms of action, the set pieces aren't exactly the big-budget spectacles some might expect, but they perfectly fit Anderson’s vision and arguably create more tension than many modern blockbusters.
Perhaps the word “classic” has lost some of its meaning these days, but it would be unfair not to call One Battle After Another exactly that. 4.5/5 ⭐️
