“One Battle After Another” Review – A Modern American Masterpiece
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most fascinating directors working today. Consistently recognized as among the best in his craft for almost 30 years, he ranks among my personal favorite filmmakers.
I discovered his work when “Licorice Pizza” was released in 2021. The film displayed his unique ability to balance psychological dramatic elements with a signature comedic sensibility. His style instantly resonated with me. With a filmography ranging from period dramas like “There Will Be Blood “(2007) to romantic comedies like “Punch-Drunk Love”(2002), Anderson is simply one of cinema’s most versatile auteurs, and he continues to produce classics.
“One Battle After Another,” Anderson’s latest creation, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Chase Infiniti. Loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland,” the film follows DiCaprio’s Bob Ferguson, a stoned, former revolutionary who embarks on a mission to rescue his kidnapped daughter from a former adversary.
When the project was announced years ago, details were scarce: an Anderson action film starring DiCaprio and Regina Hall. As the release date approached, more emerged: a $100 million budget double Anderson’s previous highest production cost, numerous titles changes and a runtime nearing three hours, according to Variety.
High expectations were justified. Anderson delivered one of the most electrifying films in recent memory. The relentless chaos, particularly during the second and third acts, keeps audiences riveted for all 160 minutes. There’s a frenetic energy that makes the nearly three-hour runtime feel like 90 minutes.
From the opening scene, I felt transported into the world of the French 75. Learning about the group’s members, motivations and actions builds a fully realized universe. Sometimes films remain just works of fiction we observe from a distance. To feel completely immersed in a created world is one of filmmaking’s greatest challenges, one Anderson executes masterfully.
This film occupies a unique position in Anderson’s vast filmography, combining the family drama of “There Will Be Blood,” the comedy of “Licorice Pizza” and the scale of “Phantom Thread” into something entirely new.
Throughout, I saw similarities to Ari Aster’s recently released “Eddington,” which explores similar themes of white supremacy and political grifting. Where “Eddington” takes a wacky, psychological approach to contemporary issues, “One Battle After Another” grounds itself through its central father-daughter relationship.
The score from Radiohead member and frequent Anderson collaborator, Jonny Greenwood, ranks among the year’s finest. Intense piano notes punctuate chase sequences, while climactic moments swell into grand orchestral renditions of the central theme. That main theme lingered in my head for weeks after my first viewing. Plus, “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes makes an appearance and it is one of the funniest, out-of-nowhere needle drops I have ever experienced.
Cinematography has always been Anderson’s strength, and this film delivers spectacularly. This marks his first IMAX release and is shot on VistaVision, a previously extinct format revived by this film and “The Brutalist.” One car chase sequence towards the climax stands as the most incredible I’ve witnessed. Reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s work, the entire situation feels tense and eerie. I’ve never seen a chase filmed in such a euphoric and hallucinatory way, with the cars repeatedly cresting over the hills.
Every actor with significant screen time makes an awards-season case. Taylor delivers in her brief but essential role. Infiniti provides a groundbreaking performance in her feature debut. Del Toro gave some of 2025’s funniest and most memorable onscreen moments. DiCaprio again proves why he’s among cinema’s greatest actors.
Then there’s Penn, who arguably delivers the decade’s best performance. Colonel Lockjaw seems almost unplayable on paper. He’s calculated and overtly racist, yet unintentionally hilarious and consumed by his fetish for Black women. He’s dead set on joining a White supremacist group hilariously named the Christmas Adventurers Club. This borderline psychotic character presents extreme challenges. Penn, however, delivers one of the most callous, inhumane portrayals imaginable. His robotic walk and evil expressions create a character simultaneously monstrous and darkly comedic.
I hesitate to label any contemporary film an instant classic. Today’s releases can age poorly or be surpassed by later works exploring similar themes. However, the entertainment value, the family drama at its core and its eternally relevant themes make “One Battle After Another” a modern masterpiece and a film multiple generations will appreciate.