One Battle After Another

Surprisingly, I’ve never been an avid Paul Thomas Anderson watcher. He’s a director that’s been on my watchlist for a while, after watching both Licorice Pizza and Boogie Nights, I made a point of trying to support him in whatever he makes. This year, he graces us with One Battle After Another, a thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I’m pleased to report that he absolutely nailed it! This film comfortably sits in the company of the best releases this year, along with Sinners and Weapons.

The best place I can think to start is within the main crux of the film. The film revolves around Leo’s character trying to save his daughter after his and his wife’s past comes back to punish them. That’s the anchor of this film, and regardless of all the other political commentary, all of the story points back to this north star. And its all the better for it. The core relationship between this father and daughter is what gives this film the sense of grounded intensity. You see just how scared he is and just how determined he is to save the only person in his life that he truly loves. Since the film splits them up from the start, you have a limited time getting to know their relationship, but the tight writing and subtle performances from both Leo and Chase make you believe that they have a history, that they live in such a closed off world that she is somewhat resentful to him. And yet, he stops at nothing to get her back.

Speaking of their performances, the acting in this film is absolutely top notch. Leo gives an amazingly layered performance as Bob, as you would expect. He’s equally determined and pathetic, he sells you on this smart guy who’s been neglectful, been out of the game for a long while that he’s forgotten almost all of his training. Its amazing how quickly he can jump from competent freedom fighter to chaotic dad mode in an instant. Because we spend so much time in the prologue, getting to know his background and his relationship to his partner, you can’t help but root for him when he needs to fight for his daughter back. This isn’t a generational performance, nor is it a career best for Leo, but it’s a damn good one from him.

Furthermore, Leo’s performance wouldn’t work half as well if he didn’t have the right people to bounce off of. The standouts of this ensemble have to be both Chase Infiniti as Willa and Benecio Del Toro as Sergio (Sensei as he’s often referred to by Bob). Being her first major film role, I was absolutely blown away at how well Chase managed to hold her own in the scenes she was in. She brought a certain confidence and agency to the role, something which would be sorely lacking if this movie was made 10-20 years earlier. She never once asks for help, she always does as she’s told and she always manages to take control of the situation should she find an advantage. Granted some of this is probably down to the writing but the subtle character beats and the way she presents herself in the role, is just makes her an absolute standout. Benecio, however, brings the opposite energy to the film. He often adds a layer of levity to the otherwise heavy story. He absolutely glides through scenes, creating a presence that you feel comfortable with, that you trust completely. Never once in the film did I doubt his intentions, especially given his responsibilities. He was always seen as a guy who wanted to help, at least from my eyes anyway. Benecio has a certain charm and warmth about him in this film, you can’t help but grin whenever he’s on screen because its just so captivating!

Now, all these protagonists wouldn’t be anything without a good antagonist. Sean Penn fills those boots and turns it all the way up, even beyond! Its been a while since I’ve seen such an irredeemable and evil villain in a film, every single scene he’s in makes me want to bash his head in and I can’t commend Sean Penn enough for that. He’s abusive, racist, homophobic and generally has an energy of being a terrible person. Most of that is conveyed through his body language instead of his delivery. He walks like he’s got a foot up his ass, he talks like he feels he’s got something to prove and he handles people like he’s the only one in the scene that matters. I genuinely spent the whole film wishing he was dead, and when that was finally granted to me, I was so delighted. Bravo Sean Penn, and bravo to the writers for creating such an irredeemable villain.

Moving over to the technical side of things, this film is absolutely gorgeous to look at, and that’s widely thanks to the use of VistaVision. For those who don’t know, VistaVision was a filming method that was used back in the 50s, it uses a 35mm horizontal film rather than the traditional 35mm vertical film, therefore allowing a clearer frame. It allows you to have a wider frame without sacrificing the colour depth or picture clarity, and allows you to keep a more concentrated film grain. The result is an absolutely stunning film, the brights really pop, and the darks are greatly contrasted. I noticed that the film was presented in a 1.43 aspect ratio, so you could see more of the top and bottom of frame instead of to the right and left as you would in a wide-screen. This was incredibly immersive, it really let you fall into this world of freedom fighters and political warfare.

Furthermore, the actual cinematography was often breathtaking. With a wide range of techniques used to exemplify a lot of the scenes. They utilise Oners, overhead Drone shots and mounted Gimbal shots, with a whole lot of dolly and hand-held shots. I was constantly impressed with the level of detail and visual storytelling they attempted. My personal favourite being when the camera was mounted onto the car door as Willa escapes, it moves with the door and is on a slight free tilt so it moves with the car, it properly showcases the chaotic nature of the scene. The sound as well is incredibly effective as both a storyteller and a tension builder. There are often scenes where the sound will tell you everything you need to know. Specifically, one scene towards the third act, Willa, is sat alone just before the soldier come in and arrest her. There isn’t a music track, there’s no footprints, just a medium shot that lingers on the hallway next to her. Where we see the soldiers coming but she does not. The lack of sound just immersed me to the highest degree, I was watching with my breath held! The gunshots are very defined as well, with each one feeling piercing. it’s that loud! Often times the lack of build up visually to a gunshot makes the sound of it that much more impactful, so you can see just how well this team worked together.

The final thing I want to cover is the political stance this film takes, or really doesn’t take. It heavily criticises and showcases the terrible things that modern governments are doing and blatantly getting away with. The film actively shows you the immigration camps, the poor conditions, the often racist and bigoted attitudes that are present in our society. It makes an effort to showcase the terrors that governments can do when people who are blatantly bigoted are put into positions of power. How they abuse their power to fuel their own self-interest or push their bigoted ideology.  Most crushing of all, it makes the idea of a secret society of racists seem like it’s not that unbelievable. I don’t know if it’s just me but it really made me think about the direction that both the US and the UK seem to be heading in. Since a lot of the characters and ideas in this film is very reflective of certain presidential figures and our very own UK equivalent…

The film is a complete representation of the anti-immigration and the lack of tolerance that is becoming increasingly more frequent today, and I applaud them for that. Paul Thomas Anderson wrote something that has something to say, he clearly has intentions going into this, things he wants to bring to our attention and believe me, we’re listening. The political messages aren’t just integral to the story, they provide a thematic undertone that stays with you long after the film is over. Hell, even I was thinking about my moral code and what I was doing to promote the things I believe in, I can’t lie.

But the film isn’t just a criticism and commentary on the dangers of this right-wing ideology. It also provides us with a commentary on these freedom fighters, and shows the ugly side of what they do. The whole film happens off the back of a freedom fighter thinking about herself rather than the cause she’s fighting for and losing herself in the process. Bob’s partner does things that I won’t spoil but she does them in (what I interpreted as) her own self-interest. She is in love with the fighting, she loves scaring people and showing these “rich white men” that they aren’t as powerful as they think they are, not really. But the dangers and consequences of such actions drive the whole plot forward and show you the darker side of these “Freedom Fighters”. The film doesn’t necessarily stay politically neutral, but it does make an effort to show that the side we’re rooting for isn’t as squeaky clean as we would hope them to be.

My only real criticism of the film is that it can sometimes bite it’s own tail in a sense. It sets up all these wonderfully well thought out ideas but then leaves you wanting more from them. I thought Sean Penn’s General Lockjaw went on for far too long, it got to the point where I wanted him to die out of frustration rather than my feelings against him. Some of the plot feels a little contrived and unbelievable, like the bounty hunter and his flip on his morals could have used a bit more buildup for my liking but I guess it works for what it needs to do.

Overall, this film is an absolute triumph. It brings together a remarkable cast to tell a truly engaging and thought-provoking story, and I couldn’t be happier that I supported it.

9/10