When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue one of their own’s daughter.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, ‘One Battle After Another’, is comfortably for my money his best film in years and undoubtedly one of the finest films of 2025 so far. It is a story about a left-wing revolutionary group fighting against the establishment through a series of breakouts and bombings, and while the screenplay was written over twenty years ago, and the novel that was based on coming out in 1990, there are parallels to be found with much of the political division and growing unrest in the America of today.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the leading role as “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun, ‘One Battle After Another’ begins as he and his partner, who goes by Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), work in tandem, while a corrupt military official (Steven Lockjaw, played by Sean Penn) becomes fascinated by Perfidia, seeming to be simultaneously aroused and repulsed by her. When Perfidia has a daughter (Charlene, played by newcomer Chase Infiniti), and a bank robbery is botched, it sends Pat and Charlene into hiding as other members of the crew are killed if they can’t go underground quickly enough. 16 years later, Pat is a paranoid drug addict and Charlene is a teenager, and they are not remotely prepared when Lockjaw attempts to hunt them down again, kicking off the rest of the movie.
Everything about the craftsmanship on display here is of the highest quality, from the performances to the direction, to the script and Jonny Greenwood’s brilliantly unique score that is unlike anything else you’ll hear this year. DiCaprio is perfectly cast in the leading role, believable as a washed up revolutionary who has to come in from the cold, while the supporting performances from Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Chase Infiniti leave a huge impression. Penn’s Steven Lockjaw is a memorably sinister, chilling and evil antagonist, Del Toro’s sensei is cool, calm and collected, and the best praise you can give Infiniti is that she more than matches these award winning stars.
Yet without Anderson, it doesn’t come together as successfully as it does. The set pieces are stunning, particularly the suspenseful car chase and the astonishingly staged Battle of Baktan Cross, and they compliment not overshadow the characters at the heart of the story. The film is as funny as it is intense, and I laughed more at this than I have done at many straight comedies. This is without even touching on the sinister undertones in the plot surrounding Lockjaw’s primary motivations to return 16 years later, which certainly leave an impression.
‘One Battle After Another’ is Paul Thomas Anderson at his absolute best, delivering a bold, ambitious and endlessly entertaining film that is both a gripping, contemporary thriller and a stunningly impressive piece of cinema. It is one of the year’s best films.
Rating: 5/5
Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Tony Goldwyn, Wood Harris, Alana Haim and Chase Infiniti
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[…] ‘The Lost Bus’ is a survival drama about one of California’s deadliest wildfires, the 2018 Camp Fire, released on Apple TV but with a limited cinema release here in the UK – something I’m grateful for as this demands to be seen on a big screen. Focusing on a school bus driver who has to navigate the carnage to get a class of schoolchildren to safety, it is a suspenseful, gripping drama directed by a man who is no stranger to bringing intensity to the screen in Paul Greengrass. I thought it was an excellent movie and continues a terrific run at the cinema following on from ‘Islands’ and ‘One Battle After Another’. […]
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