Paul Thomas Anderson has done it once more.
Known for creating some of the most compelling films of the 21st century, he returns with One Battle After Another, a satirical thriller that mixes explosive action, razor-sharp comedy, and deep character study.
If awards season is around the corner, this is a movie that will be hard to ignore.
Leonardo DiCaprio Excels as a Middle-Aged Revolutionary
Now 50, Leonardo DiCaprio is proving he has mastered the art of playing middle-aged men who have seen better days.
After delivering brilliant performances in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), he shines again here as Bob Ferguson, a jaded left-wing revolutionary whose glory days are long behind him.
But DiCaprio isn’t the only standout. Sean Penn steals every scene he’s in as the unhinged army officer, Captain Steven J. Lockjaw, whose mix of lust and loathing leads to one of the most shocking downfalls you’ll witness on screen this year.
A Story Inspired by Thomas Pynchon
Loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, the film opens at a US-Mexico border detention center where immigrants are held under strict military guard.
Captain Lockjaw oversees the facility, while outside, a radical group called the French 75, led by the dynamic and unforgettable Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), plots their liberation.
Perfidia is fierce, political, and highly flirtatious, especially with Bob Ferguson, the explosives expert.
The French 75 operate like a US version of the Baader-Meinhof gang, engaging in bombings and robberies.
Eventually, Perfidia is captured and attempts to negotiate her release through a shocking plea-bargaining strategy involving Lockjaw.
Penn’s performance brings both menace and dark humor to the role, with every jaw-clench and chin jut amplified for effect.
Time Passes and New Challenges Arise
Sixteen years later, Perfidia is gone, hidden by the Witness Protection Programme.
Bob is left to raise their teenage daughter, Willa (played by newcomer Chase Infiniti), who is confident, resourceful, and remarkably composed.
Bob, meanwhile, has become a booze- and drug-addled shadow of his former self.
Anderson doesn’t hold back in poking fun at Bob’s generation of leftist firebrands, highlighting their inability to adapt to modern conversations around gender and social issues.
Satire on Both Sides of the Political Spectrum
The film’s satire is sharp and fair, lampooning both extremes of the political spectrum.
On the far-right, a group of wealthy white supremacists known as the Christmas Adventure Club complicates Lockjaw’s ambitions.
Desperate to join, he faces a problem: interracial relationships are forbidden, and there’s a chance he is actually Willa’s biological father.
This conflict drives much of the suspense, as Lockjaw schemes and Bob scrambles to protect Willa.
Benicio Del Toro shines as Willa’s martial-arts teacher, offering help in the chaos, while the plot delivers thrilling action sequences and tightly choreographed car chases—some of the best in years.
Long Runtime but Worth Every Minute
Clocking in at nearly three hours, the film doesn’t rush its story, instead allowing for deep character exploration, complex plotting, and Johnny Greenwood’s masterful score to elevate the tension and comedy alike.
At the London premiere, Anderson and his cast appeared briefly, confident in the film’s power without needing to oversell it—he knows he’s crafted something special.
A Must-See This Friday
One Battle After Another hits cinemas next Friday, promising a cinematic ride filled with laughter, suspense, and performances that could well define this awards season.