Born from Paul Thomas Anderson’s long-held wish to craft a car-chase action film, One Battle After Another continues the director’s remarkable ability to make each new venture distinct within his filmography while still feeling unmistakably his. Whether it’s the interwoven ensemble of Magnolia, the ruthless character study of There Will Be Blood, the hazy noir of Inherent Vice, or the poisonous romance of Phantom Thread, his career shows a filmmaker constantly pushing into unfamiliar territory while still building naturally on his themes, a trademark that has become its own impressive hallmark.
His latest takes him into almost blockbuster territory, or at least the closest he may ever get, crafting an intense and consistently entertaining three-hour chase film while probing authoritarian politics, revolutionary sacrifices, and family legacies. He balances the intimacy and epic scale that have always defined his work, folding in recurring themes of regret, fractured families, alienation, and morality under strain. Those obsessions are reshaped into new questions of power, paranoia, and the cost of resistance, all while he blends absurdity, humor, melancholy, violence, and tragedy into a vivid, cohesive vision.
The film begins with a 30 minute prologue, a whirlwind of drama, sacrifice, betrayal, and humor, packed with enough detail to stand as a movie of its own, before launching into what is essentially a two hour chase sequence. Structurally, it recalls Mad Max: Fury Road and its sequel Furiosa, though not in the way you might expect.
The sense of constant movement, as the title suggests, along with its precise balance accross every aspect, becomes the film’s greatest assets. Anderson and his editor Andy Jurgensen keep everything fluid, with scarcely a moment passing without making us laugh, think, and feel for these characters, often all at once. The result is a film that runs like a propulsive engine, rarely stopping yet never growing tiring or repetitious. Jonny Greenwood’s restless score, shifting from playful to tragic to chaotic with effortless ease, adds essential texture, while the cinematography amplifies the sense of momentum.
The performances are just as finely balanced. Leonardo DiCaprio, whose post Oscar roles have sometimes tilted toward “trying” instead of “being,” delivers his best performance since The Wolf of Wall Street. He captures the hilarious yet tragic shades of his character with more ease and freshness than in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood or Killers of the Flower Moon. His work is essential for the unusual but moving relationship with his daughter, a bond constructed without the typical “heart-to-heart” scenes yet quietly forming the core of the story. Sean Penn, by contrast, leans into a borderline caricature that walks a paper thin line between absurd and believable. Chase Infiniti becomes the emotional center (even if her character is a touch underwritten), while Teyana Taylor gives the film’s standout turn, crafting a complex figure whose absence is always felt, the definition of a great supporting performance. And, as expected, Benicio del Toro is a joy whenever he appears, wringing delight from every second.
Containing what could rank among the greatest chase sequences ever filmed (you will know it when you see it), One Battle After Another comes achingly close to perfection. Its only shortfall lies in the emotional crescendo: across its shifting tones and genres, I longed for one moment of deeper connection, a glance, an exchange, a missing scene between DiCaprio’s Bob and Taylor’s Perfidia, or Bob and his daughter, that would have lifted the emotional landscape to an even higher level. Much is already conveyed between the lines, but showing it outright is what the film lacks to achieve its fullest emotional impact.
Yet aside from this small but pivotal absence, the film is a triumph. That it doesn’t break into the top five of Anderson’s filmography says less about its quality than about the strength of a director committed to reinventing himself with every project while staying true to his vision and voice. 162 minutes have never gone by so fast.