Paul Thomas Anderson is the definition of a true auteur filmmaker. His films range in genre and storytelling and have made him one of the best contemporary directors and screenwriters.
Anderson’s latest, “One Battle After Another” (2025), is a film different from his normal directing style, yet it makes sense. It’s a bizarre film to say the least.
Inspired by the 1990 novel “Vineland” by Thomas Pynchon, “One Battle After Another” tells the story of a group of revolutionaries named the French 75 led by “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), and how their group is dismantled one by one by Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn).
Those not caught by Lockjaw are forced to go into hiding. This includes Calhoun having to change his name to Bob Ferguson and raising his and Perfidia’s baby daughter, Charlene Calhoun/Willa Ferguson (Chase Infiniti), alone.
Sixteen years pass by, and the French 75’s old nemesis in the form of Lockjaw resurfaces, and Willa Ferguson goes missing. Bob Ferguson, at this point in his life, is a drug addict and alcoholic, but that doesn’t stop him from finding her before the consequences of his past radically catch up to him.
One of Anderson’s best traits as a filmmaker is directing actors. DiCaprio is almost unrecognizable when he switches from Pat Calhoun to Bob Ferguson. It’s a role he’s never played in his career as a leading man.
“One Battle After Another” marks DiCaprio’s first collaboration with Anderson, and hopefully, the actor and director will continue to make films together as time progresses.
Other legendary actors like Penn and Benicio del Toro, who plays Willa Ferguson's karate instructor, Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, make their second appearance in one of Anderson’s films. Toro’s first was in “Inherent Vice” (2014), and Penn was last seen in “Licorice Pizza” (2021). Penn serves as the primary antagonist, while del Toro is just a side character.
What could’ve benefited this film was having more screentime dedicated to Penn and del Toro’s characters and their performances. At two hours and 50 minutes overall runtime, perhaps Anderson thought they were given the appropriate amount of minutes.
Penn as Lockjaw is a villain too ridiculous to take seriously. Sure, in the eyes of the characters, he’s intimidating, but the audience is always poking fun at him. He feels like a little kid who, just because he got to sit in the big boy’s chair, feels like he now has power over others.
Infiniti’s Willa Ferguson is a highlight many moviegoers likely won’t expect. In a film with A-listers, including Regina Hall as a member of the French 75, Infiniti’s Willa Ferguson is the heart and innocence between the constant violence and chaos between the revolutionaries and members of the U.S. government military.
She’s pushed into a world she only knew of because of her father, and even so, wasn’t fully prepared for what could happen. By the end, she’s a completely different person, and Infiniti perfectly personifies that in her performance after having been through one heck of an experience at the age of 16.
With a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes, “One Battle After Another” is one of the most popular recent releases. However, the follow-through of the plot throughout the film doesn’t mark this as one of the best films of the year.
The performances are good, the comedy is used suitably and the cinematography by Michael Bauman is well done. The story is presented simply and does not make it a candidate for Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards.
There are far better and more enjoyable films released this year by Warner Bros. that went above and beyond this film, such as James Gunn’s “Superman,” Joseph Kosinski’s “F1,” Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.”
Still, love him or hate him, Anderson is someone who goes by his own rules and doesn’t allow for a studio to change his film for any unjust reason. If this film suits your fancy, see it.
Rating: 3/5
