Although I’m not incredibly familiar with the directorial work of Paul Thomas Anderson, this is definitely the film that will encourage me to look into his filmography. One Battle After Another is an action/adventure comedy that follows a group of retired revolutionaries whose attempts at leading normal lives are thwarted when they’re hunted by enemies from their past. For starters, the performances from the entire cast were outstanding. Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Benicio del Toro, and Regina Hall truly stole every scene they were in. Even the film’s antagonist, played by Sean Penn, gave an incredible performance despite his character’s creepy and unsettling nature. The way this film was directed also needs to be commended. Everything from the film’s cinematography to the film’s pacing was weaved together so seamlessly that I was not bored for a single minute of this film’s three hour runtime. In between the emotional resonance of our protagonists’ backstories and character arcs were these tense, brutal, and visually creative action set pieces that each had the right amount of action or comedy to keep me engaged. This film also ever so subtly uses the resolve of these revolutionaries and their antagonists to touch on themes such as political corruption and activism in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen in a film, at least not for a long time. The only thing about this film that could even be considered a negative in my opinion is feeling like not every supporting character the film presented to us having a fully fleshed out arc, at least not on-screen, considering the film’s runtime. However, I still wouldn’t let this film fly over your radar. Films like this remind me why I love movies. Score: 9/10
Noah Robinson 