‘One Battle After Another’ Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Big-Budget Masterpieceof Virtuoso Action with Solid Elements of Drama, Satire and Thriller

What if an acclaimed auteur like Paul Thomas Anderson is granted over $100 million budget at his disposal, and creative freedom to get to do whatever he wants? The result will be something like One Battle After Another, which effectively combines Anderson’s distinct artistic sensibilities with a blockbuster pedigree. All packaged in a glorious VistaVision format, with the movie clocking in at an epic 162-minute runtime. A risky chance for a bloated outcome? Not even close, thanks to Anderson’s assured direction right from the onset as he takes us on a whirlwind cinematic ride, imagining his own vision of fascist America inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland novel.

The oppression and injustice against the immigrants are running rampant in the country, and it’s up to the insurgent group of the French 75 led by Perfidia Beverly Hills (a no-nonsense Teyana Taylor, stealing the whole show in the first act) to fight for their cause. They live by their “free borders, free choices, and free from fear” motto, instigating them to burst into the detention facility near the US-Mexico border and free the immigrants with the help of Perfidia’s boyfriend and explosives expert, Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio). The opening raid is where Perfidia encounters the army captain, Steven J. Lockjaw (a buffed Sean Penn), but Anderson turns the scene into an unlikely situation brimming with sexual energy. This subsequently leads to Perfidia and Lockjaw using each other for personal gains, exposing how morally corrupted from both sides of the law are.

Things get complicated when Bob and Perfidia end up having a baby daughter, Charlene. For Bob, his day of revolution is over since family matters the most, including raising their kid. But Perfidia refuses to embrace motherhood, preferring to continue her fight under the French 75 rebellion. Then, everything goes wrong following a botched bank robbery, showcasing the first look at how Anderson executed the brief but propulsive chase in the action department. It’s tense with enough urgency in the camerawork capturing the chaos that leads to Perfidia’s eventual arrest. It’s worth noting that Anderson isn’t particularly known for the action genre, and yet, he’s handling it like a seasoned pro.

With Perfidia in custody, the French 75 is forced to split up, and the same goes for Bob and their daughter to go into hiding. That’s only the beginning of the movie, but Anderson packs the chronology of the scenes during the first act with a mix of drama, action, thriller, and even a dose of dark and deadpan humor to engrossing results.

Fast-forward sixteen years, Bob is now like a hollow shell of his former self after years of abusing himself with drugs and alcohol, but his undeniable love for his daughter remains the same. Now played by Chase Infiniti in her breakthrough performance under the name of Willa, she means the world to him. They are now residing somewhere in the woods in a simple life free from modern technology. That means no phone, other than resorting to analog-style communication in case of an emergency, since utilizing technology can put them in danger. Bob’s insistence on old-school communication allows Anderson to raise the stakes higher, particularly after Willa ends up being captured at one point. Apparently, Bob’s worst nightmare returns to haunt him, and it’s Lockjaw, who has since been promoted to colonel. He’s now coming for him with his army, leaving Bob with no choice but to escape from his safe haven that he called home for all these years of lying low.

The chase is on, and the pace rarely lets up as we follow Bob trying his best to elude capture while going on a mission to locate his daughter. But given his less-than-astute burnout he has turned out to be, not to mention, prone to panicking, which resulted from the paranoia that’s been eating him inside out for so long, this gives Anderson a chance to make DiCaprio’s Bob an oddball, nervous wreck of sorts. DiCaprio is no stranger to blending dramatic and comedic portrayals effortlessly (read: The Wolf of Wall Street), and one of his best scenes comes from the heavily-marketed payphone scene where he has trouble remembering the specific password during a code-speak call.

The fun continues with the introduction of Sensei Sergio, played by Benicio del Toro in his hilariously deadpan supporting turn. His character becomes pivotal for helping Bob, from providing him a temporary shelter to giving him a ride and a rifle. Their on-screen pairing reminds me of a great buddy movie, and it’s nice to see DiCaprio and del Toro together, drawing plenty of laughs. The tradition of an action-movie mold wouldn’t be complete without a worthy antagonist, and Anderson has one in the form of Sean Penn, who plays the relentless Lockjaw.

And let’s not forget the action scenes, notably the climactic car chase. Let’s just say Anderson sure knows how to mount his cameras to capture the thrill of the chase that takes place on a wavy, empty highway that goes up and down in a uniquely ominous manner. One Battle After Another is equally a technical triumph in its cinematography, with Michael Bauman’s lensing capturing the higher-resolution visual texture, clarity and detail that it’s hard not to get immersed in its overall look. Anderson once again reunites with his frequent music collaborator Jonny Greenwood, and this time, the latter’s score paints the whole picture with varying use of sound and layering that complements with every scene. An epic movie not to be missed.

‘One Battle After Another’ Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Big-Budget Masterpieceof Virtuoso Action with Solid Elements of Drama, Satire and Thriller