One Battle After Another (2025) Review

Title: One Battle After Another
Year: 2025
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Country: US
Language: English

Never has a future "Best Picture" Oscar Winner been more obvious. Paul Thomas Anderson has made a lengthy career of important, enduring, and captivating films like Boogie Nights (1997), Hard Eight (1996), and There Will Be Blood (2007). The latter of which is often considered the best film of the last 25 years. One Battle After Another is PTA's most expensive production, coming in with a budget of $200 million. While it hasn't made its money back, it proves to be a great critical success with 90%+ of viewers giving positive feedback about their experience. 

One Battle After Another begins with the liberation of immigration camps, and bombing of government property; an announcement of the "motherfuckin' revolution" by a militant group known as the French 75'. Two members, Bob Ferguson  (Leonardo DiCaprio) & Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) fall in love. Perfidia encounters a deranged white supremacist named Lockjaw (Sean Penn) who finds himself infatuated with her. Lockjaw dismantles the group, but years later he returns to find his daughter. Bob Ferguson must do everything he can to save his daughter. 

Anderson created One Battle After Another, loosely inspired by Thomas Pychon's novel Vineland, from his desire to create a "chase" movie. The film has the suspense of great "chase" films (ex. No Country for Old Men) while also being very funny, and driven by social commentary about the state of America. Sean Penn does a great job at making Lockjaw a Terminator-esque force of nature, while also showing how warped the character's views are. The Christmas Adventurers, a group of powerful white supremacists who accept Lockjaw as one of their own, are portrayed with satire and irony. 

From a technical perspective; I can't see how One Battle of Another wouldn't win at least five academy awards. The score, composed by Johnny Greenwood, adds to the heightened sense of dread as Lockjaw gets closer to his goals. The Cinematography is remarkable; there are several shots I found myself incredibly impressed with, including the rollercoaster-like hill shots during the car chase near the end of the film. The editing keeps the film fluid; at nearly 3hours, One Battle After Another feels like a brisk experience. There are no scenes that feel like they aren't necessary. 

There are few modern-day movies that I can see audiences re-watching 25-30 years from now, but Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another is clearly one of them. I think this is a film that will be studied in future University classes. This is going to sweep many awards shows.