In recent years, Hollywood has tried (and sadly failed) to make good cinema that reflects the real political climate of the modern world; Alex Garland’s Civil War springs to mind as a disappointing attempt at insightful commentary on a near-future dystopian reality – it somehow feels out of touch and simultaneously under-developed in its delivery. Thankfully, Paul Thomas Anderson restores hope for audiences: One Battle After Another is nothing short of brilliant, with its surmounting tension, unfailing score, and moments of comedy making it one of the best films of the year.
Inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, One Battle After Another breathes life into the action-thriller genre. Although films of the same genre are often stained by sloppy plotlines filled with drawn-out fighting scenes in an attempt to stitch together a decent beginning, middle, and end, Anderson’s new oeuvre is built on the foundations of some world-class writing – I first shuddered when I saw the 161 minute runtime, but found myself lost in the story so much so that I forgot to finish my popcorn.
The first act follows a group of revolutionaries, called The French 75, with the relationship between protagonists Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) emerging as a central plot point. Following a series of tense and dramatic events, One Battle After Another‘s brilliance continues as the storyline follows on 16 years later, returning to focus on the clash between Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) and Bob and his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti).
Despite many interweaving parts, the plot never feels messy, overdone, nor bored. When films have multiple storylines, it’s easy to find yourself wishing that your favourite characters would come back on screen, but, in One Battle After Another, this is easily avoided as each character and story is palpably thought-through, developed, and impactful.
The tension built through the storyline is also second-to-none, complemented by the script’s great comic relief that is predominantly delivered by Benecio Del Toro’s character, Sensei Sergio St Carlos. The comedic moments are perfectly timed, never taking away from the darkness of the storyline and contributing to the nerve-wracking build-up towards the film’s climax. DiCaprio’s “What time is it?” scene is a particular highlight, with Anderson using comedy to bring the film’s absurdly terrifying world into focus. One Battle After Another will have you in stitches one moment, and in the next, suffocate you with the scariest presentation of hills in a car chase to ever hit the silver screen.
The performances in One Battle After Another must also be commended. Sean Penn will undoubtedly receive some much-deserved nominations for his supporting role. From his creepy walk to his creepy hair, Lockjaw is a terrifyingly unsettling villain, with his line delivery often drawing parallels to Daniel Day Lewis’ Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood.
DiCaprio is also great, suprisingly, even if his character is a far cry from his heart-throb performance in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, or the charming but arrogant Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street. It’s refreshing to see a new side of him where the Oscar-winning actor shows great parental chemistry with his younger co-star, Chase Infiniti, who shines as the young Willa in her stellar debut film performance (reminiscent of Mikey Madison’s Anora breakthrough). Though she might not be winning an Oscar, Infiniti has certainly proved herself one to watch.
Alongside great performances and great writing, the score is another standout element of One Battle After Another. Composed by Radiohead‘s Jonny Greenwood, the soundtrack uses plucked strings and erratic piano riffs to build unimaginable tension – even without the images on screen, the score could make your palms sweat and your heart rate soar. Where parts of the film strategically lack dialogue, the soundtrack helps to ensure the pacing doesn’t fall flat, never bringing you out of the world Anderson builds.
Where One Battle After Another truly shines, however, is its ability to strike a chord with its audience in such a profound way – it’s rare that such a blockbuster, surrealist film feels so interconnected with the real political climate. The real fear evoked in the film comes from the fact it never feels that far away from reality with its representations of American immigration detention centres and depictions of far-right white supremacist secret society meetings. While it’s unsettling to say, ultimately One Battle After Another is so terrifying because of how realistic it feels.
5/5
