One Battle After Another is auteur and filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson’s tenth feature film and second attempt at a Thomas Pynchon adaptation. The film showcases a diverse range of skill sets that elevate it to new heights, revealing a new facet of Anderson’s direction. While setting out to tell a distinct story, the film offers more than what meets the eye with a timely narrative that no one can ignore. 

The Revolution is Alive

‘One Battle After Another’ is about a revolution and a group of revolutionaries known as the French 75. The French 75 delves into the ideology of freedom, especially when it comes to helping the most marginalized groups of people in America. When one of the missions goes awry, the French 75 must retreat to various locations and maintain contact only in the event of an emergency. Sixteen years later, an enemy reemerges from the French 75’s past, leaving one member (Leonardo DiCaprio) to come out of retirement to save his 16-year-old daughter (Chase Infiniti).

While the plot of the film is simple, there is a lot more meaning than what meets the eye, which is expected for a Paul Thomas Anderson film. In the beginning, the film follows Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), who comes from a lineage of revolutionaries. It begins her quest for greatness, and along the way, she begins a relationship with Bob Ferguson. While a relationship is formed through their work of choice, there was a common enemy in Colonel Stephen J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn). Colonel Lockjaw has it out for Perfidia in a way that is enticing yet tantalizing at the same time. As the film progresses, Perfidia’s relationship with Lockjaw takes the film to greater heights. This is sparked because of a botched heist, which puts Perfidia in an inferior position. This makes the French 75 go into hiding for 16 years. Sixteen years later, the world hasn’t changed much, but the need for power is not lost on Colonel Lockjaw. The need for power consumes him, which makes him spiral into needing to find the surviving members of the French 75. At this point, Bob has grown lazy and has no aim in life but the one thing that moves him is his daughter Willa, and when she is taken, he fights through whatever battles he must to find her. 

Transcendent Performances

One thing that Anderson is always going to do is put together an all-star cast. One Battle After Another is no different; the film has an amazing all-star cast that all contribute something vital to the film’s narrative. There are also some notable actors who surprisingly show up in the film, leading to some unexpected plots that are even more necessary than what may already be known. As far as performances go, Leonardo DiCaprio leads the film and does a brilliant job portraying Bob Ferguson. Benicio del Toro is thrilling as Sensei Sergi, offering a comedic yet at times sensible narrative as one never knows what he’s up to in juxtaposition to DiCaprio’s role. Regina Hall adds a much-needed layer to the film that is different from the other revolutionaries in the story, in which she is grounded and loyal to helping others. One thing that the film lacks is the presence that Hall has; she’s not in the film as much as one would hope, and the fleshing out of her character (in the end) is a bit questionable. 

Without a shadow of a doubt, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infinity, and Sean Penn were the film’s standouts. Teyana Taylor’s Perfidia Beverly Hills is the force multiplier of the film, with only about 30 minutes of screen time. What Taylor does in 30 minutes with Perfidia sets up the trajectory for the rest of the film. It could easily be inferred that the lack of Taylor’s presence as the film progresses is needed to keep the story on track. In totality, Taylor leaves a lasting impression that makes the film feel complete, even with a lack of screen time.