ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
(Check out Chris Reed’s One Battle After Another movie review, it’s in theaters now. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)
American auteur Paul Thomas Anderson, who exploded onto the film scene with his sophomore effort, the 1997 Boogie Nights, is one of those directors in whose works there is always something of note, even if the bigger picture doesn’t quite hold together (a matter of individual viewer discretion). An ambitious artist, he refuses to rest on his laurels, delivering movies that vary the one from the other even as they feel unequivocally a part of the Andersonian œuvre. In One Battle After Another–Anderson’s second adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel (the first was the 2014 Inherent Vice; this one is inspired by Vineland)—we get, once again, a fully engaging narrative with a strong cast, filled with a propulsive energy that takes us on a wild cinematic ride.
In the beginning, there is “The French 75,” a group of armed revolutionaries determined to teach the United States government a lesson as it frees imprisoned immigrants at the border and humiliates the military. Among the members are “rocket man” Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio, Killers of the Flower Moon) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor, The Book of Clarence), he an introverted explosives expert and she a powerhouse of a leader and spokesperson. In the midst of blowing up bases and robbing banks, they find time for romance.
Perfidia is restless, however, and compromises her ideals when she threatens an army captain, Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn, Daddio), who responds by tracking her down and offering to let her continue doing what she does if she sleeps with him. They enjoy the kink of it; or at least, he does. We’re never quite sure what is going on inside Perfidia’s head.
Before too long, the authorities catch up to the French 75, scattering those who escape across the country. Cut to 16 years later, and Pat—now named Bob—and his teenage daughter, Willa (formally Charlene), live a peaceful existence in a remote town, undercover and out of sight from their former hunters. What follows, though, is anything but quiet.
As Lockjaw (now a colonel) tracks down Bob and Willa (Chase Infiniti) for deeply personal reasons, One Battle After Another spins an adrenaline-fueled adventure filled with as many comic bits as action set pieces. All the while, Anderson takes on white supremacy and fascism, never allowing the fun of the story to keep it from important topics. Call it the wham-bam metaphysics.
I particularly enjoyed the final chase scenes, where Anderson uses a long lens locked down on the vehicles to create vertiginous effects of the road undulating through visually foreshortened distances. It’s a visceral experience, the audience never quite knowing where the road is headed until we literally crash into the unexpected. Tack on an effective shootout, and we have a winner.
Unfortunately, other parts can drag (the movie runs 161 minutes, and could be shorter, despite the otherwise frenetic pace), even with the enlivening presence of Benicio Del Toro (The French Dispatch) and additional powerful support from the likes of Regina Hall (Honk For Jesus, Save Your Soul). Watching DiCaprio’s Pat/Bob get high and then stumble through his paces occasionally recalls the more tiresome aspects of Martin Scorsese’s 2013 The Wolf of Wall Street. It’s funny, but only up to a point.
Still, despite these weaknesses and the fact that certain script aspects abide by very little logic, the overall result is pure entertainment backed by unsettling themes. The cinema of ideas need not be low-key (DiCaprio’s pot-smoking notwithstanding). One Battle After Another slips into high gear from the start and may meander, but rarely slows down.
– Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@ChrisReedFilm)
Warner Brothers; Paul Thomas Anderson; One Battle After Another movie review
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