One Battle After Another

One Battle After Another is a masterpiece: a crazy, spectacular, engaging, comic and moving film. Paul Thomas Anderson creates a spectacular action film that leaves you feeling and thinking. Since the plot moves at breakneck speed, the film's running time - 2 hours and 40 minutes, without end credits - is ok. This review is guaranteed to be spoiler-free.

Paul Thomas Anderson, known as PTA, is a talented director with a unique style, revealed by Boggie Nights, and consecrated by There Will Be Blood, then Phantom Thread, and Licorize Pizza. His name alone is enough to convince Hollywood stars. One Battle After Another is an action comedy, but also a political film about a fractured America. It questions the contested legacies of the radical struggles of the 60s and 70s, racism, immigration, the rise of conservatism, white supremacy. 

The film is loosely based on a book by Thomas Pynchon, Vineland. PTA had been wanting to adapt it for twenty years. By setting the story in our contemporary era, he frees himself from historical constraints. He achieves a fusion of genres: action, family drama, absurd comedy, political satire. While renewing himself for the main theme of the revolution (the group is also called French 75), PTA retains the themes that run through his films: family relationships, human flaws, memory, the weight of the past.

Thanks to its $140 million budget, the directing is great in the scenes of the attacks, the car chases, and the hunt for the revolutionaries. PTA's visual style is there with its sequence shots, this constantly moving camera. The editing is dynamic, creating a constant tension around the quest of Di Caprio's character. The film is to be seen on the big screen to benefit from these action scenes and those taking place in the desert. Michael Bauman, director of photography, filmed in VistaVision, to be able to project the film in Imax and 70mm. PTA chose to shoot in natural settings, in California, from Sacramento to Borrego Springs, then in El Paso, Texas. The music by Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) is particularly successful.

The film benefits from a talented cast. Leonardo DiCaprio, who dreamed of filming with PTA, is simply brilliant. He carries the film by playing a disillusioned revolutionary, inspired by The Big Lebowski. He is very funny but also moving in this role of father. The success of a movie often depends on that of the villain. Sean Penn, as the antagonist, plays a crazy, white supremacist colonel, who is particularly disturbing. Benicio Del Toro (Traffic, 21 Grams) plays the friend, a martial arts teacher with an impassive composure, nicknamed Sensei. The script gives pride of place to a trio of formidable actresses. Teyana Taylor brings all her energy to the role of a revolutionary, feminist, fast-paced mother. Regina Hall plays the role of a friend who looks out for others, both strong and gentle. Finally, Chase Infinity, as the young Willa, is the film's revelation. These performers have all trained to be able to perform their stunts. One Battle at a Time is the film of this Autumn, a cinematic bombshell in both form and content. No wonder Steven Spielberg found it "incredible."

One Battle After Another
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, Sara Murphy and Adam Sommer 
Starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infinity
Cinematography : Paul Thomas Anderson and Michael Bauman
Edited by Andy Jurgensen
Music by Jonny Greenwood
Production company : Ghoulardi Film company with WB Pictures 
Distributed by Warner Bros Pictures
Release dates : Septembre 24, 2025 (France), September 26, 2025 (United States),
Running time :  161 minutes

Seen September 19, 2025 at Pathé Baugrenelle (Paris)

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