With the popularity of blockbusters, action movies have been a genre that have seen repeated tropes and unoriginality for decades. Though not an inherently bad thing, audiences would only benefit from something that hits the same comforts of popular action movies while daring to be bold and different. The newest Paul Thomas Anderson film “One Battle After Another” does just that. Released September 26, the film is the most innovative movie of the year so far that perfectly appeals to the masses and cinephiles alike.
The film is a beautiful story that melodies political satire, family relations, comedy, action, and thrill. The movie follows paranoid revolutionary Bob Ferguson and his daughter Willa, who were forced into hiding when ratted out to the authorities when Willa was just a baby. When Steven J. Lockjaw, the man who was trying to track them down before Willa’s birth, resurfaces and Willa disappears, the father-daughter duo must find their way back to each other and fight for survival.
The performances in a film like this can truly make or break its effectiveness, but with this legendary cast, it blows expectations out of the water. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Bob Ferguson, who delivers a performance worthy of best lead of the year. He perfectly embodies the sense of paranoia that not only hiding from an arch nemesis, and substance abuse, can lead to, but also is the perfect complexly compassionate parent struggling to raise a teenager on his own. In this movie, DiCaprio, who’s repertoire feature some of the best performances (and movies) ever like “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Django Unchained,” and “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” delivers some of the best acting of his decades long career.
Chase Infiniti, who plays Willa, proves herself worthy of keeping up with legends. Her performance as Willa is perfectly youthful and mature. She creates a character that is likeable, intelligent, and relatable as she navigates being thrown into the world of a revolutionary she only heard about from stories. This performance is worthy of nominations and will mark Infiniti as an A-list actor.
The cast also features Sean Penn, who is opposite DiCaprio as Steven J. Lockjaw. Penn is scarily an amazing villain, truly embodying the quirks of Lockjaw’s villainy through every aspect of physicality. From the way he walks, his voice, his expressions, and the way he wears his uniform, it seems like there was no one better to play the part. Benicio Del Toro also delivers a stellar performance as Sensei Sergio, Willa’s martial arts instructor and friend to Bob. Serving as a vital source of wit and physical comedy, Del Toro really helps to make One Battle After Another stand out. Additionally, Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall are excellent contributions to the stellar cast. Though their screen time feels limited compared to the other cast members, they deliver perfect charisma and badassery that keep the action intense and the emotions raw and believable.
Paul Thomas Anderson once again shows how he is one of the best directors working in the industry today. He is at the complete helm of the vision, as he’s not only the director, but also wrote and helped to produce the film. He masterfully blends political commentary, suspense, and humor that make the almost three-hour runtime feel like a 90-minute flick.
The cinematography somehow finds beauty in the mundane world. Despite the Western-like setting, the dryness of the desert area doesn’t create a metaphorical dryness on the screen. Car chase scenes are perfectly suspenseful, so we see the perspective of the drivers as the vehicles pursue one another in a battle for life and death. Moments of tenderness and joy are treated with close up shots, and moments of isolation with long shots. It is the ultimate masterclass in visual storytelling that will live on as a classic.
“One Battle After Another” is going to be hard to beat for movie of the year. With something for everyone, the movie is a must see that sparks conversation days after viewing.
One Battle After Another is now playing in theaters.