WRITER & DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson
Licorice Pizza, Phantom Thread, There Will Be Blood, Magnolia, Boogie Nights

STARS
Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Benecio Del Toro and Regina Hall

Could One Battle After Another finally be the film after nearly 30 years in the business that garners 11-time Academy Award ® nominee (3 motion picture, 5 writing and 3 directing) Paul Thomas Anderson a breakthrough Oscar ® triumph? 

Whether to his advantage or not, One Battle After Another is PTA’s most expensive film to date and following on from 3-time Oscar ® winner The Brutalist (good omen, perhaps!?), is just the second film in the 21st century to be mostly shot in VistaVision.

Loosely based on the 1990 novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon, a few Hollywood heavyweights headline this production and put on an acting masterclass, though their much lesser-known support acts are equally potent.

To somewhat simplify without any spoilers what becomes a very elaborate story, there are essentially two key timelines in One Battle After Another.

The opening parts of the film takes views inside the violent exploits of the ‘French 75’, a resistance group comprising of Perfidia (played by singer, songwriter and model Teyana Taylor), her guy Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) and numerous others. Their assignment at an immigration detention centre near the U.S-Mexico border acquaints Perfidia with Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), who has disconcerting personal reasons to go with the professional ones for pursuing Perfidia and anyone who is a part of or may have ties to the ‘French 75’.

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The second timeline that also occupies the majority of this grandiose 2 hour and 41 minute feature takes place 16 years later. Lockjaw has been approached with an exclusive offer, but before he can accept, he must revisit his past and ensure what he once buried can never resurface.

Though One Battle After Another has its imperfections, ambition is absolutely not one of them, and it is frequently enmeshed within the upper crust of cinema.

Ambiguity is often present throughout this film. Sometimes, seemingly deliberately because future developments made will bring clarity to plot details that may otherwise remain uncertain. Other times, the writing just lacks plausibility in parts to be as polished as it mostly otherwise is. Attention to detail is both one of the astounding and intermittently inconsistent features throughout. Nevertheless, if you find comfort in the limbo One Battle After Another sometimes suspends viewers in, then this magnificently entertaining movie could easily end up being one of your favourites for the year. The anticipation it builds early into the second timeline is palpable and increases powerfully as the second half developments unfold. An aspect of the film I was aware of prior to seeing it and both curious and cautious of its addition is the infusion of dark comedy. When assessing the quality of writing focusing purely on this element, it feels impossible to fault and simply must be seen to be truly appreciated. It intelligently invents and derives humour from its scenarios, dialogue and character work consistently throughout the whole film. It is never out of place, forced or distasteful either. One of my favourites surrounds the formation and perspective of the group of white American men who present the aforementioned exclusive offer to Lockjaw and one of their labels for a certain female! One Battle After Another barely puts a foot wrong in the tone it chooses to summon, but the music score is largely offbeat and might be the exception to that for some. Though it can be a bit much at times, there is plenty else for our attention to quickly be diverted to. I mentioned an acting masterclass earlier and it’s truly on show here. It’s tough stuff to single out individuals, but I just have to mention Sean Penn and Chase Infiniti, the latter playing a pivotal role in the second timeline in her debut feature film, as a couple of standouts. Visually, there are some iconic sequences and indelible imagery. A vehicle pursuit taking place in steep terrain is the epitome of what I describe and is immaculately staged and filmed.

Time will tell if One Battle After Another brings Paul Thomas Anderson the Oscars ® success he collectively deserves. It is almost guaranteed to be in contention and most definitely deserves that at the very least. 

One Battle After Another is showing in cinemas across Australia from September 25th, 2025.

Moviedoc thanks Warner Bros. Pictures and Universal Pictures for the invitation to the screening of this film. 

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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