One Battle After Another: A Review
- Matthew Colandrea
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
This review contains spoilers.
Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another is his first movie set in the modern era, and incredibly relevant for the time. Anderson proclaims the importance of the undying spirit of revolution, even against the strongest fascist regimes, and how those who have love stand stronger and more resolute than people built around hate. It balances these ideas with thrilling action sequences, intense character drama, and hysterical jokes that grip the viewer for all of the film's two-hour and forty-five minute runtime.
The film opens with Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) leading the French 75, a revolutionary group standing up to the fascist American regime. The film then moves ahead to the present, where Bob and Perfidia have been separated, and Bob is in charge of their daughter, Willa. Willa (Chase Infiniti), goes missing, and the rest of the film follows Bob Ferguson, as he attempts to find her. However, they both are being chased by Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn), a ghost from Bob’s past in the French 75, forcing him to face his history as an insurgent and reignite part of his spirit.
What makes each conflict stand out is that every person who aids Bob or Willa sees the French 75 as legends. Sensei Sergio’s (Benicio del Toro) eyes light up when he hears Bob was part of the group. He immediately brings Bob with him and gives him his only gun, even though he has to move migrant refugees that he has been hiding in his building. What’s even more fascinating is that the French 75 failed at overthrowing the government, but 16 years later they still give people such hope. Any act of rebellion can cause a chain reaction that carries into the next generation. Each person is emboldened by Bob and wants to continue the fight because of his work years prior. Everyone wants to carry on what was started a decade before them and is called to action.
The movie is also elevated by every single performance. Leonardo DiCaprio continues to put on some of his best work, as Bob is split between his former revolutionary self and the stoner father he became. DiCaprio is hysterically funny while making many desperate faces and little punches in the air as he becomes frustrated with his failure to keep up with the revolution. However, he also nails every emotional beat, with the love for his daughter and the desperation to get her back beaming through his eyes in every dramatic scene.
In one scene, he calls out to Sensei Sergio, “Viva la Revolución,” a phrase from his days in the French 75. It was such a burst of emotion, like it had been dormant inside him since he hung up his hat, that everyone in my theater began to clap. While he may be motivated to rekindle his fight because his daughter is in danger, it is still an undeniable part of himself.
The rest of the cast is also delightful in every role. Sean Penn is incredible in every scene he is in and gets a lot of laughs. However, the humor comes from how stubborn and confidently incorrect he is. He lies through his teeth to get what he wants and contradicts himself at every turn, while still being self-assured. It is frightening, but also impossible not to laugh at, because his views and way of going about life are so nonsensical to any sane person.
Chase Infiniti has all the makings of a future star, able to capture fear, tenacity, and love when faced against the greatest threats in the film. Many of the most dramatic scenes, including one where she meets a member of the French 75 for the first time, focus only on her face and reactions. In her gaze is a mix of fear, readiness for a moment she prepared for but thought would never come, and adrenaline. She conveys deep emotion in her face, and has immense spunk that emulates her father.
The film feels raw and powerful because of its cinematography and music. The lighting is slightly overblown and there is lots of film grain. The older look makes the movie feel like a classic, even if it was released this year. Furthermore, the film uses a wide range of shots, from long one-takes to intense close ups. Each shot is striking and keeps visual variance within the film, while also expressing details of the story. There is one shot where Lockjaw is talking with an important panel of people, and the panel's faces are shown, but Lockjaw’s is seen from behind, like a silhouette. It conveys his unimportance to them and how his place could be filled by anyone.
To cap off the movie, there is a large set piece of a car chase, and it is one of the finest ever put to film. The chase is on a road with many hills, and many shots come from cameras mounted on the hoods of the cars, or shots of the rearview mirrors of each car. The editing is tight so that the tension never drops, jumping from one car to the other so there is always some fear that the distance is tightening. However, the hills and shots from the car mask where each person is, so the pressure is always active.
The score balances stripped-back tracks featuring only a piano with others featuring more elaborate strings and larger orchestrations. Scenes which feature Bob trying to succeed on his own usually use a more intense piano to underscore that he is weaker and less capable when he does not work in a group. The score also uses a specific chord so sparingly that when it plays, it fills the room and elevates the scene to new heights.
The film ends with the song “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as Willa goes out to join a protest. The song placement proclaims that Willa is the embodiment of what Americans should be, a true “American Girl.” The film never says who is in charge of the country, or who the French 75 are combating, or even which values they are fighting for. All that is shown is they free detained immigrants and fight the government. However, the song hones in on the thesis of the film that the continual fight for freedom and revolution are at the heart of America, and those who take up that call and continue the fight are true Americans.
Matthew Colandrea is a freshman at Columbia College studying Theatre and Physics. He loves comics, film, and music.