“One Battle After Another” is the new film from director Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood”). It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti. The film is about washed-up revolutionary Bob Ferguson (DiCaprio) who lives off the grid with his daughter, Willa (Infiniti). One day, she goes missing and his enemy (Penn) reappears. With the help of her martial arts teacher (Del Toro), he goes back to his radical ways to find his daughter.
This is the best movie of 2025 so far and quite possibly, one of the best of the decade. Anderson crafted such fascinating and charismatic characters. These characters make decisions that subvert audience expectations in such satisfying ways. If they were not executed as well, it would have come off lazy or done for shock value. The decisions feel so natural because revolutionaries would not take the easy way out of conflict. No matter who tries to talk them out of something, they do not stop.
The story had a lot to say about the current United States. It touched on issues such as sanctuary cities in danger and brutality with the defense industry. There are also themes of mass censorship and freedom of expression. As insurgents, Ferguson and his comrades often take extreme approaches but they acknowledge that to strengthen general welfare, authority figures must be hit in the pocketbook.
The role of Bob was tailor-made for Leonardo DiCaprio. Most of the time, DiCaprio has recently played complex roles in period pieces. Casting him as a relatable protagonist in a modern setting made for a great change of pace. Bob certainly has his cool moments but DiCaprio, as he’s demonstrated in previous movies, did not shy away from showing the character’s disheveled side. Most of the time, Bob has scruffy hair and a bathrobe on. He tries desperately to understand today’s youth. DiCaprio is one of those actors who can play a character like Bob with dignity and likability. Even at age 50, father roles are rare in his filmography. However, the father-daughter arc he and Infiniti crafted was fascinating and wholesome.
The film had such a cohesive supporting cast. Everyone compliments one another. Whether it was a good or bad guy, a character always had commanding screen presence. Sergio, Benicio del Toro’s character, was the confidant that any protagonist needs. While not a revolutionary like his friends, he put in the effort to understand and support their critical needs.
However, the supporting actor who shined through the most was Sean Penn. In his career, Penn has played the silliest characters (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High”) and the most authoritative ones (“Colors”). In an Oscar-worthy performance, he combined those archetypes into the force of nature that was Colonel Lockjaw. The scenes when he defended his strange lifestyle choices were hilarious because he played it entirely straight.
“One Battle After Another” is a modern classic, where you never feel the runtime with the astounding directing and performances.
