Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest film is yet another showcase of what has defined his filmmaking over the years: measured pacing, masterful tension-building, and an often hilarious screenplay that cuts through the darkness of the scenes he crafts. Anderson adapts these strengths into a high-stakes thriller, letting his signature style carry through the film’s fast-paced bursts of action.
The film begins in the present day. Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) are a young couple and members of the French 75, a revolutionary group waging conflict against the U.S. government. Springing forward 17 years later, Pat is living a seemingly normal life under a carefully constructed new identity as a single father to his spunky teenage daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). However, when former enemy Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) discovers their whereabouts, both Pat and his daughter are placed in grave danger as a relentless pursuit ensues.
What is unique about “One Battle After Another” is that, for only the second time, Anderson has created a story set in the present day. That choice makes everything about this film feel more resonant. The crackdown at the center of the film is uncomfortably current, while the targeting of immigrant communities, government surveillance, and slippery political language around ‘security’ are not abstract ideas: they are the lived realities of millions of U.S. residents in the present day. In doing so, Anderson raises the stakes in a way that feels urgent and real, with its messaging more important than ever.
The performances are absolute stand-outs. Chase Infiniti makes an unforgettable film debut as Willa, delivering a performance full of emotion, intelligence, and grit. She never feels overshadowed, even opposite DiCaprio and Penn, and matches the intensity of both industry veterans, especially as the film barrels toward its final confrontation.
Sean Penn is absolutely magnetic. Delivering a career best as Lockjaw, he is menacing, obsessive and grotesquely imposing. He steals every scene he is in, his physical presence alone enough to shift the energy on-screen.
In a packed awards season, “One Battle After Another” stands out. Paul Thomas Anderson is not a stranger to awards buzz, and after years of near-misses at the academy awards, this feels like the one that will get him his Oscar. It’s pertinent, expertly made, and witty from start to finish — exactly the kind of film deserving to take home Best Picture this March.
