VIVA LA REVOLUCION! // A FILM REVIEW OF “ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER”
BY MATEO MORENO
There are few filmmakers working today who can guarantee that their new film, whatever it may be, will be spectacular. There are even fewer filmmakers working today that can successfully skip through any single genre and type of film and make it work equally. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of those filmmakers. With a history of fascinating films like Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Magnolia, Licorice Pizza and Punch-Drunk Love, Anderson has crafted bullet proof films that both audiences and critics adore. Not that they’re all perfect films but his talent crafts worlds that are simply stunning to watch. His latest film, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, is perhaps his most ambitious yet. It’s the first action film he’s tackled and the first film to be set in the modern day since Punch-Drunk Love. And boy, does this film crack and sparkle throughout every single one of its 150-minute running time. It’s a dynamite of a film, one that lays the groundwork for the rest of the film in its first 30 pulse-pounding 30 minutes and then shifts and swerves throughout the rest of the film, giving you a truly thrilling theatergoing experience. And that’s not even including one of the most exciting car chase scenes in quite a while.
Loosely based off Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland,” Leonardo DiCaprio leads the film as Bob Ferguson, one part of a revolutionary group called the “French 75.” His girlfriend Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) is also a member, and their goals are things like taking down detention centers, freeing immigrants and exposing the world for what it often is: a corrupt world who places value on the color of someone’s skin. During this revolution, they fall in love and Perfidia gets pregnant. She also becomes the obsession of Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), a rigid soldier who wants to take them down almost as much as he wants Perfidia. After the baby is born, Perfidia’s wild, anarchist spirit can’t be held down, and she chooses the revolution over being a mother. Cut to 16 years later and Bob is a single father raising their daughter Wila (Chase Infiniti). Well, “raising” might be a stretch. He certainly loves her dearly and she loves him, but he is also fried his brain with years of smoking pot and binge drinking. He’s extremely paranoid that someone will come looking for them one day and has prepared his daughter for every kind of scenario, all the while she simply wants to be a normal 16-year-old kid. But when Bob’s paranoia comes knocking at their door, in the shape of some really bad people, the second half of the film kicks into high gear as both Bob and Wila are sent spiraling for their lives.
One Battle After Another is both a grounded, rush of an action film and a wildly resonant mirror into current American politics. It’s a boldly timely film, one that never lets its foot off the petal for a moment. Anderson’s script, which while based off Pynchon’s novel, is completely its own thing and is heavily detail oriented in a film where every single detail matters and often comes back to remind us of why they mattered. This near perfect film is matched by a near perfect score by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood; together they are frantic partners in crime, and they serve as a perfect guide into a film that has more successful twists and turns than any movie in quite some time. The cast are all top notch here. Leonardo DiCaprio does some of his best work here as the stoner, bathrobe wearing revolutionary father. He’s a mess, and what an entertaining mess he is. He’s clearly having a blast and crafts a character here that is a perfect window into this world of paranoia and secrets. As his girlfriend and fellow revolutionary, Teyana Taylor is spectacular and is truly mesmerizing on the screen. She breaks your heart in a simple stare. Regina Hall is wonderful here, with a powerful supporting role that anchors the heart of the film. In her first feature film ever, Chase Infiniti is truly a star being born. Playing the daughter that sometimes has to be the parent, she is charming and explosive. The car chase scene that I mentioned above involves her and I won’t say anything else to spoil it except for… WOW. Benicio Del Toro is fantastic as Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, Wila’s martial arts instructor who also has a pulse on everything that goes in in his community and takes care of them. His very funny and assured performance brings so much levity, even when he’s doing things that are incredibly important. Rounding out this stellar cast is Sean Penn, doing the best work he’s done since Dead Man Walking. He’s always been a phenomenal actor but here he digs into a character that he really hasn’t before: a true menacing creep, one that’s both ridiculous and very, very dangerous.
Serving as a wild chase film, a revolutionary battle and a strong comment on political life in modern America (down to the immigrant “roundups,” sanctuary cities and dirty agents), One Battle After Another is easily one of the best films of the year, in a year of some incredibly original and spectacular films and is also hands down one of Anderson’s best. Which is truly saying something. With all of the heavy imagery and timely topics, you might not think this is the kind of popcorn film you’ll want to see again and again. But you’d be wrong. I can’t wait till I see this again.
GRADE: A
BASED ON THE NOVEL “VINELAND” BY Thomas Pynchon SCREENPLAY AND DIRECTED BY Paul Thomas Anderson STARRING Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Benicio Del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Tony Goldwyn. NOW PLAYING IN THEATRES EVERYWHERE