I have stated on multiple occasions that my favorite English-language filmmaker would be Stanley Kubrick. The man only made 13 films in his lifetime. Of those 13, there was only one truly weak film (his first: Fear & Desire), one good film (Killer's Kiss), three very good films (The Killing, Spartacus, and Lolita).
He then had 8 masterpieces: Paths of Glory in 1957, but then his stretch of 7 films from 1964's Dr. Strangelove to his 1999 swan song with Eyes Wide Shut has got to be the strongest track record of any filmmaker or at least on par with the likes of Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, and Yosujiro Ozu.
On top of that high level of consistency, Kubrick was also a master at never sticking with the same genre. To think that the man who gave us Dr. Strangelove would also give us The Shining.
These days, there is one filmmaker who instantly comes to mind as having a strong record that could be fairly comparable to Kubrick in terms of quality and variety:
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
This is a guy who has been making films now for roughly 30 years as of this writing. Right out of the gate, he gave us a very solid debut with Hard Eight but then followed up with what still remains one of his greatest films: Boogie Nights.
In the years since, we've gotten sprawling ensemble pieces like Magnolia; a small quirky romantic comedy like Punch Drunk Love...who then followed that with There Will Be Blood, a very brooding character study set in the early 20th century amidst the California Oil Boom.
His 2021 film Licorice Pizza was his first true misstep. It dealt with a bizarre relationship at its core (a 15 year old boy pursuing a 28 year old woman and she sort of just...lets it happen) and it aimlessly bounces from story to story to the point it lost me about a half hour in.
It made me eager but pensive about whatever he was going to do next. He pretty much broke his streak and then when I heard he was going to do something more modern with action that would be seen as a bit more "accessible", I wasn't sure what to expect.
Now that I have seen the "accessible" film that is One Battle After Another, I just have to say one thing right off the bat.
It IS accessible...BUT...that is not to it's detriment. Far from it, actually.
One Battle After Another is an absolute banger. A modern classic to be. One of the most entertaining and engaging films I have seen in recent years. It manages to be an action film that can be surprisingly funny amidst the truly dark sides PTA explores throughout it.
I am not saying that the film was spoiled for me before seeing it, however I did watch a couple of reviews on YouTube that I felt gave away some plot points I wish I didn't know as much about. Luckily it wasn't enough to ruin the experience and I didn't know how a lot of it would pan out.
I am not going to spoil the film at the moment, but I am going to do a separate spoiler section at the end of my review for those who may have seen the film and want to hear more about my actual thoughts in detail.
Leonardo DiCaprio is a far-left revolutionary named "Ghetto" Pat Calhoun who, along with his girlfriend Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) are part of a group called the French 75. We first see them breaking into an immigration detention facility to let the detainees escape. A lot of their energy and actions seem reminiscent of the real-life revolutionary group The Weather Underground.
Perfidia becomes the objection of obsession for the corrupt commanding officer at the facility, Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) and when she picks up on it, she uses that to her advantage.
Perfidia and Pat end up having a daughter, but a series of events lead to them having to go into hiding. 16 years later, when their daughter's life is put into jeopardy, DiCaprio goes back into action...maybe just a bit slower than he used to be. ;-)
That is all I will give you in terms of the plot, but I do want to talk a bit more about positives and any little nitpick I might have.
In terms of nitpicks, I could argue that maybe certain scenes/moments could've been trimmed down a tad more. It has been reported that while the film was shown to test audiences (something PTA has not done for any of his films since Boogie Nights), that roughly 8-10 minutes was trimmed off. I don't think it would've hurt to maybe trim off another 5-10. However, I say that as if I am grasping at straws to complain about something.
I could argue that the female leads weren't fleshed out as much. I do wish we could've gotten more from Regina Hall, who played their fellow French 75 member Deandra. Having said that though, despite their limited screentime, they all shine.
Chase Infiniti plays Willa, DiCaprio and Taylor's daughter, and when she becomes a focal point of the film, she commands the screen with ease. This is her first film after having only been featured in a supporting role on the AppleTV+ remake of Presumed Innocent and I think she is in for a wonderful career.
The previously mentioned Regina Hall has even less to do, but has some really quick beautiful moments of motherly warmth. She is an actress I wish could have more opportunities to anchor a film.
Teyana Taylor is a dynamo. While she may be playing a character that has some questionable tactics, she dominates her scenes and frankly, that is no shock. If you have seen her in the film A Thousand and One, you will already know what I am talking about.
There's Benicio del Toro, as Willa's karate teacher Sergio who is the true definition of a great supporting performance as he is often in the background but is pivotal to the story and provides great strength along with comic relief.
We also have Sean Penn as Steven Lockjaw, and he is something else. This performance felt like a cartoon in the best possible way in that even down to his walk, it was as if he was some kind of GI Joe action figure come to life. As the film's antagonist, he is sadistic and vile and evil...and you can't help but be compelled by his energy. Say what you will about Penn as a person and frankly, I don't always think that highly of him as an actor but I do think this performance is up there with Dead Man Walking and Milk in terms of quality. It is certainly going to go down as one of the roles that defines his career.
When it comes to DiCaprio, he is one of those actors where when a new film of his comes out, you'll see many people claim that we just witnessed his best work. We even heard that about Killers of the Flower Moon which still led to an Oscars snub, but while I won't claim this is his best performance by any means, I did really love him in this.
I actually wouldn't be shocked if he ends up winning a second Oscar for this, because he is just so immensely likable as the aging revolutionary who is trying to get back into the game. If One Battle After Another goes all the way and wins Best Picture, I could see DiCaprio coat-tailing in the same way Cillian Murphy did for Oppenheimer and Mikey Madison did for Anora.
Then there is the man-of-the-hour himself: PTA.
He has never won an Oscar and frankly that is an absolute joke. It is one of those "tale as old as time" scenarios where a truly magnificent filmmaker goes throughout their career without a single win for their direction or screenplay. In a just world, he would've won Oscars for Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, and Phantom Thread easily. He could've even won something for Magnolia too but that was a rare year where so many other filmmakers were playing at his level.
I obviously still need to see more contenders this year, but this would be a glorious opportunity to give him an Oscar for Directing and have it be richly deserved. What he accomplishes in this film in terms of balancing the levity with the action and the tension is nothing short of a masterful achievement.
The cinematography, the editing (despite my slight nitpick), the SCORE!! We have Jonny Greenwood doing the music again and it is absolute perfection. I know a lot of people are talking about Sinners for its Score, but I think I am going to be on the Greenwood train. He is so creative with what he does, and I could see myself listening to selections from it which is not something I do as much with film scores these days. It might not always seem melodic, but it just puts you right there with the vibe and energy on screen.
I could see this film building on me even more over time. There are already people commenting that it is even better on a rewatch. Just the simple fact that people are going back to see it right away is a testament to its power. Even writing about it now after a goodnight's sleep, I find myself thinking back on the experience eager to check out so many scenes and watch them over and over.
Perhaps when the dust settles, this rating could shift, but I have to commend this film for truly checking off all the boxes for being a film that is truly good enough for anyone...except for right-wingers...and maybe the very far-left. The film DOES poke fun at the far-left, too but it is clear who the rightful lunatics are in this story.
Maybe I wasn't as enraptured by it as a film like Parasite back in 2019, but this is easily a defining film for the 2020s and will be looked back on as such as history moves on.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Rating: 10/10
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ON WITH THE SPOILER SECTION!
This will be me in rambling mode, but I suppose I am still on a high from the experience, so please bear with me!
I will say the "twist" that Lockjaw was Willa's father was a twist I saw coming, but it wasn't something I considered a flaw. It is one of those moments where the story is so engrossing and you feel invested in the characters that it just feels like a moment you want to watch to experience the character beat rather than be floored by a twist.
Perfidia playing into Lockjaw's secret racial fetishism is one of those questionable tactics, but it seemed more about power for her than truly embracing any kind of relationship. Perhaps one element of the film that did get completely obscured from reviews which thrilled me was the reasoning as to why Lockjaw decided to search for Willa and Bob (which I just realized I don't think I mentioned earlier that Pat goes by Bob while in hiding...oops!).
Lockjaw wants to join the Christmas Adventurers Club, a far-right white supremist group that is protective of their holiday. They greet with "Merry Christmas" and even say "Hail Saint Nick". It is both comical and sad, because in today's society, a group like this doesn't seem too far off. When their secret society meets, complete with "Hark the Herald Angels Sing!" blaring for musical accompaniment, it was like I was witnessing pure gold in terms of satire. They are adamant that no one who joins the group will have ever had any relations with someone of color.
I will admit that part of me wishes that Sean Penn's demise was a bit more gratuitous. There is nothing more thrilling than seeing such a horrendous villain meet their end, and while the first part from the gunshot and the crash was a fake-out, I did wish that his end could've come from the hands of DiCaprio or Infiniti...but oh well, it did feel more realistic in a sense.
I will say that DiCaprio's character was fantastic in that we see him try his best to be a good father to Willa while Perfidia seems to care more about trying to save the world. She never actually wanted a child, but DiCaprio does take on the role with a lot of care. Seeing him 16 years later as a stoner and a drunk who is so far out of practice makes for comic gold when he is thrust back into action.
Him running with the skater crew and then falling off the roof as a great unexpected turn of events, only for him to be tased by the police...and I love that the hospital workers ended up helping him escape from their captivity!
Oh, and that car chase near the end? Perfection. I was bubbling up with tension and my body temperature seemingly spiked a few degrees. It was also a great callback to the waves brought up by Benicio del Toro! Such amazing cinematography there too.
Honestly, I may just leave it at that.
If you are still reading this and you haven't seen the film yet, I wish you stopped above but alas...I highly recommend you go check it out. I want this film's Box Office numbers to prosper!
