One Battle After Another

If you're into wild, politically charged thrillers with a heart, One Battle After Another might just be your next favorite movie. Directed, co-written, and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, this 2025 action thriller is a bold, sprawling ride that blends revolutionary chaos with a deeply personal father-daughter story. Inspired in part by Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob, a washed-up ex-revolutionary living off the grid with his daughter Willa, played by breakout star Chase Infiniti.

The story kicks off when Bob’s old nemesis, a corrupt military officer named Lockjaw (played by Sean Penn), resurfaces after 16 years, setting off a chain of events that forces Bob back into a world he thought he’d left behind. As Willa goes missing, both father and daughter are pulled into a high-stakes game of survival, resistance, and reckoning with the past. The film is packed with action, paranoia, and a surprising amount of emotional depth, all wrapped in Anderson’s signature style.

Visually, the movie is a stunner. Shot on 35mm VistaVision film, it’s got a rich, cinematic look that’s rare these days. The action sequences are intense, the editing is sharp, and Jonny Greenwood’s score (with a couple of tracks by Jon Brion) adds a haunting, electric vibe to the whole experience.

Critics have been raving about it. With a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic rating of 95, it’s being hailed as one of Anderson’s best. DiCaprio and Penn both deliver standout performances, and Infiniti has been widely praised as a magnetic new talent. The film’s themes—resistance, identity, and the cost of revolution—are timely and provocative, though not everyone is on board. Some critics found it a bit too sprawling or politically heavy-handed, and right-wing commentators have taken issue with its sympathetic portrayal of antifascist revolutionaries.

At 162 minutes, it’s a long ride, and not everyone will be up for the journey. If you prefer tight, straightforward plots or shy away from politically charged narratives, this might not be your thing. But if you’re into ambitious, thought-provoking cinema with a rebellious streak and a beating heart, One Battle After Another is well worth the watch.