One Battle After Another is a masterpiece of the highest order from Paul Thomas Anderson – whose chameleonic like ability has seen his films earn a reputation as some of the best of the last decade – be they struggling oil barons in There Will Be Blood looking to make it rich; or a washed up cult believer in The Master trying to survive – he’s capable of keeping it fresh and this movie is no different; opening with a revolutionary takeover of an ICE-backed institution where the freedom fighters of the French 75 launch a liberation campaign. No real world politics is mentioned – there’s no direct stand in for MAGA; Trump or Obama the same way Eddington was a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic escalation in extremist politics; but it might as well be – it feels timely, there isn’t anything to suggest that this is a dystopian sci-fi military; the US military oppressors act and behave much like how the ones who exist in contemporary America do.
It’s a clear difference between the last days of Obama and the Trump administration – youthful ambition; revolution replaced by washed up paranoid alcoholics with a broken dream. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bob is already under weather when the film starts – positioned opposite the chaotic free-spirited energy of Teyana Taylor – Perfida, a much more charismatic comrade who is the heart and soul of their revolutionary group. Bob’s job is a fireworks divisionary expert – able to create chaos amongst the ranks of the soldiers in the war to come. Their nemesis is Colonel Steve Lockjaw – Sean Penn’s sickening soldier who gets off on the whole affair much to the shock factor of the early twenty minutes – but it’s something that Perfida quickly takes advantage of and things escalate from there in a cat and mouse thriller where the hunter becomes the hunted – this is a super-charged action thriller of the kind that Paul Thomas Anderson hasn’t really made before; a real departure from the hangout young love movie of Licorice Pizza. Smash forward several years later – Bob is bringing up his daughter; Willa – played by the incredible Chase Infiniti with his only confident the delightfully odd Benicio del Toro; and Lockjaw comes after them again.
This is a film about the daughters of the revolution; of war and chaos. Bob is a side character in his own movie – bumbling around without a clue. DiCaprio plays the loveable idiot remarkably well; with a paranoid edge that only develops with age – Taylor and Infiniti are both equally terrific opposite him – a real clash of characters – and Penn watching over them all, like Margaret Thatcher reincarnate. Chase sequences are hypnotically beautiful and appropriately tense – pulling you in with an urge to keep you there; you’re drawn to the up-and-down nature of the endless road; the life-cycle never ending. This is one battle after another – repetitive in theme but never in scope. Del Toro crops up like a breath of fresh air – his line-deliveries across the board are excellent and there’s no wasted opportunity at any given turn.
The soundtrack is bombastic – really good across the board. American Girl soars – evoking a style of Steely Dan and the 1970s aesthetic – Greenwood’s music drawing form Dirty Work for the centre of the theme tune. It’s a shame that Jonny Greenwood’s politics are the antithesis of the principle them of One Battle After Another – but the music operates much better in a world without him; the tunes for example when the army are looking for Willa at a high school dance leave a mark; and it feels appropriately nerve-shredding across the entire film like a lightning in a bottle moment – everything comes together brilliantly to ensure maximum impact across the board. No expense is spared – movie stars operate in the same frame as the next generation of them – never are you once considering that that’s just DiCaprio playing a role – it’s one of the best performances of his career. It’s his Big Lebowski moment – class at every turn – bumbling idiot was a role that suits him best.
I didn’t think Eddington was going to be beaten for best movie of the year. Turns out One Battle After Another has that high honour.
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About the Author – Milo
Milo is a SpoilerTV writer who enjoys going to live music shows at pubs with the capacity of 200 people and starting a pit. His favourite shows are Twin Peaks, The Wire and Battlestar Galactica and he loves Arctangent festival!
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