Paul Thomas Anderson is one of my favorite filmmakers working today and One Battle After Another is proof that he makes one winner after another.
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a burned-out revolutionary trying to raise his teenage daughter (Chase Infiniti) all the while staying under the radar of the Man who still wants him incarcerated for all the chaos he caused back in the day. A sadistic colonel (Sean Penn), who has a vested interest in putting Leo away, comes after his daughter. It’s then up to Leo to save her.
Somewhat inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland”, One Battle After Another is a fast, fun, and funny thrill ride. It has a lot to say about the current state of our country, but it does so in parentheses, as the heart of the film is always the relationship between Leo and his daughter. Yes, Anderson is making sharp commentary on the sides of the action, and yet it’s never at the expense of the drama.
We always knew he could do movies about strained relationships between fathers and their kids, but with this film, Anderson proves he can do action too. He does an especially fine job with the final car chase, which is really saying something since the chase occurs on a straight stretch of road unobstructed by other vehicles.
Leo gives one of his best performances here. One of the fun aspects of revolutionary movies are the scenes where the freedom fighters have to say a codeword to be recognized by their brothers in arms. The scene where Leo calls into the freedom fighters’ headquarters and struggles in vain to remember the right codeword is freaking hilarious. The part where he turns into a total Karen and asks to talk to the guy’s supervisor will have you in stitches. Yes, that sort of power move even works on Antifa, apparently.
The supporting performances are equally fine. Penn makes for a disgusting villain and infiniti is also quite good as Leo’s daughter. Benicio Del Toro puts in an amusing turn too as Infinit’s karate teacher who is also a part of the underground movement.
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