The Political Thriller We Never Knew We Needed: ‘One Battle After Another’ Ignites the Screen
In a year when art increasingly mirrors reality, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” emerges as a searing political satire that feels almost prophetic. This bold adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland” crashes onto screens with perfect timing, tackling themes of radical uprising, white supremacy, and immigration that feel ripped from today’s headlines.
The story explodes into action with revolutionary group French 75’s raid on an immigrant detention center, setting off a chain of events that intertwines personal drama with political upheaval. At its heart lies an unlikely romantic obsession: Colonel Steve Lockjaw (Sean Penn) becomes dangerously fixated on French 75 member Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), whose subsequent disappearance leaves her lover Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) to raise their daughter alone.
DiCaprio brings his signature intensity to Bob, a former revolutionary turned single father, while newcomer Chase Infiniti shines as his headstrong 16-year-old daughter Willa. But it’s Sean Penn who steals the show with a tour-de-force performance as the unhinged Colonel Lockjaw, delivering what might be the year’s most electrifying character portrayal.
Anderson, affectionately known as PTA to film buffs, breaks new ground here. Gone is his usually restrained style, replaced by an energized, politically charged narrative that still maintains his trademark dark humor. The film’s standout sequence – a masterfully crafted slow-burn car chase – proves Anderson can handle action with the same finesse as his character studies.
Supported by a stellar ensemble cast including Benicio Del Toro as a karate instructor secretly helping undocumented immigrants, the film weaves multiple storylines into a tapestry of personal and political battles. The fictional white-supremacist “Christmas Adventurers’ Club” might seem far-fetched, but in today’s political climate, it strikes an uncomfortably plausible chord.
Already Anderson’s highest-grossing film and an Oscar frontrunner, “One Battle After Another” delivers the goods as both entertainment and commentary. The long-awaited Anderson-DiCaprio collaboration proves worth the wait, offering 160 minutes of exhilarating, thought-provoking cinema that challenges as much as it entertains.
The film opens exclusively in theaters on September 18, 2025, featuring an impressive supporting cast including Regina Hall, Wood Harris, and Alana Haim. This is one battle you won’t want to miss.
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