“One Battle After Another” was one of my most anticipated films of the year. Coming from one of the best American filmmakers ever, starring one of my favorite actors of all time, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Luckily, the film lived up to these high expectations and was even better than I expected.
Taking place in California, “One Battle After Another” is about a revolutionary group called the French 75, after a tragedy occurs. Bob “Ghetto Pat” Ferguson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, leaves with his daughter, Willa Ferguson (Chase Infiniti).
The opening prologue for this film sets the tone perfectly. From the opening shots of Perfidia, actress Teyana Taylor, overlooking an immigration camp, it is hard not to immediately relate it to the times we live in now and what we see with ICE.
The introduction of the villain, Colonel Steven Lockjaw, played perfectly by Sean Penn, also reinforces this. Lockjaw is moustache-twirling evil and has some of the funniest parts of the movie just due to how over-the-top evil he can be.
After this prologue, the film centers solely on Bob and Willa. There is a time jump here, as Willa is now in high school, and Bob went from revolutionary to a weed addicted dad. The movie is still overtly political; however, it also becomes a father-daughter movie.
What makes this DiCaprio performance stand out so much for me is just how funny he is here. One of the biggest movie stars in the world, not afraid to be the butt of the joke, is rare, but DiCaprio does it here.
Before we know it, Lockjaw is hunting down Bob and Willa as he closes in on their town. I don’t want to talk much more about the plot to avoid spoilers, but the simplicity of it really helps; the majority of the movie is just one big chase and it is electric to watch. For about half of the film, I was on the edge of my seat and I didn’t want to blink so I wouldn’t miss a second.
What makes it so exceptional for me is just how dynamic Paul Thomas Anderson’s direction is. There is one car chase at the end of this film that is some of the most electric filmmaking in some time. The way that the hills and cars are captured in this chase are just absurd; it is nearly breathtaking.
The camera is always moving in interesting ways, and no scene lingers for too long thanks to the incredible editing. The technical aspects matched up with a laugh-out-loud funny script is what makes it so engaging and fun to watch, even with the topic matter.
Also, the score by Jonny Greenwood is superb. The use of piano and guitar to build tension is excellent. For a score that is playing nearly the entire film, it never feels overbearing at all.
While our parents may have messed up, there’s still hope for us to do the right thing and fight back from the fascism and evil that we are surrounded by. This movie is not only very good but a decade-defining classic, but it is incredibly important. It seems every day there is some news that I hear that is soul-crushingly awful, but regardless, every day we still need to get back up and fight back.
The film says this, but also perfectly juggles the father-daughter relationship, so it never feels preachy. The final ending is also just perfect, so heartwarming and sweet, it makes you think, maybe there is hope after all.
10/10
