Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the greatest actors of his generation, and Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation. Maybe it’s not surprising that their first collaboration ends up being one of the best movies of the year. Indeed, One Battle After Another is not just a must-see movie of 2025 and a highlight of their respective careers. It may be looked back on as the defining movie of this era.
Anderson loosely adapts the novel Vineland by author Thomas Pynchon, but takes his own liberties in fitting it to the current times. The movie’s story of revolutionaries in a police state doesn’t feel dystopian like the recent The Long Walk, but rather something that the current audience will unfortunately recognize as not being too far from reality.
That becomes clear immediately as the movie opens with a group of revolutionaries on a mission to free immigrant detainees from a military camp. Among the group are freedom-fighting lovebirds Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) and "Ghetto" Pat Calhoun (DiCaprio), whose passion for the cause fuels their romance.
Unfortunately, their actions also fuel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn), a sadistic and racist military man who develops a twisted obsession with Perfidia. That obsession rears its head again sixteen years later, after the revolutionaries have been disbanded, Perfidia is gone, and Pat (now going by Bob) is living in hiding with their teenage daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti).
A relentless and hugely entertaining adventure in One Battle After Another
The prologue itself is so rich and dense in its storytelling and its characters that it could have been a movie on its own. However, Anderson is wise to spend so much time setting the stage because once the story kicks into gear, as Bob and Willa go on the run in One Battle After Another, there is no time for flashbacks. It is a fast-paced and electrifying ride right to the end.
Anderson is not a director known for action set pieces, but he makes a thrill ride out of this movie. The action is all grounded, but shot with an epic feel that gives those hearty-pounding moments and full-body chills that fans of the genre will be looking for. From the police takeover of a small town to the climactic highway chase scene, Anderson wows in this departure.
Of course, you should not be expecting a typical action movie from Anderson, and the performances are one of the ways One Battle After Another elevates the drama. DiCaprio is hugely entertaining as the haphazard hero of the movie. From Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to The Wolf of Wall Street, he is at his funniest when we get to see him falling apart.
Initially, Bob seems like The Dude from The Big Lebowski dropped into a revolutionary action movie. He has admittedly grown lazy as a fighter and a father. The former is highlighted in comparison to other revolutionaries who help him along the way, including Regina Hall’s weary warrior and Benicio del Toro’s Zen hero. However, it is Bob’s love for Willa that is his superpower, and his role as the avenging father is more effective because it is so messy.
By contrast, Penn is all fire in his tricky role. He nails Lockjaw’s threatening nature as well as his many insecurities visibly bubbling under the surface. It is one of Penn’s best performances and a truly memorable cinematic villain. Taylor is the scene-stealer of the movie, blazing through the prologue and making her presence felt long after she disappears. Meanwhile, Infiniti is superb as a young girl facing harsh truths, yet showing that she has her mother’s fire within her.
All these performances walk the very tricky tightrope of the movie’s tone. It is an intense thriller with unmistakable mirror images of today’s society, but it is also not afraid to lean into absurdity, such as the subplot about Lockjaw’s membership status in a secret society. Anderson manages to play these broad notes along with striking an emotional chord with the father-daughter story at its center.
A masterpiece for our times
As much as the comedy, the action, and the heart of the movie all work together so well, what One Battle After Another will inevitably be remembered for is how effectively it speaks to the times that we are in. While Anderson perhaps couldn’t have predicted just how prescient his movie would be with the events leading up to its release, it is as engaging and thoughtful a commentary as we have seen from a wide-release movie.
One Battle After Another touches on the ongoing fight, which can be tiring and feel pointless after a while, but remembering what is at stake can push you forward. As Bob laments getting lazy and allowing Lockjaw to get the upper hand, his bemoaning evolves into all the regrets he has as a father. For Bob, Willa is the reason he gave up the fight as well as the reason he needs to keep fighting.
It is the humanity of the story that makes its messaging so effective. There is an “us versus them” feel, but Anderson reminds us that they are all people with motives and flaws. Sometimes, what they are fighting for is different from what they say they are fighting for.
One Battle After Another is a throwback bit of ambitious auteur filmmaking that is appealing to a wide audience. It is one of the most fun times you will have at the movies this year. It is also a movie whose legacy will extend long beyond this year and that we will be talking about for a long time to come.
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