'One Battle After Another' film review: Effortlessly intense, profound, terrifying & silly

Effortlessly intense, profound, terrifying and silly, the crime thriller 'One Battle After Another' (opening in theaters on Sept. 26) is an immensely entertaining flick that is unsettlingly relevant.

In short: After 16 years of living in hiding, a group of ex-revolutionaries must work together to protect one of their own's daughter when the corrupt military official who brought them down starts hunting them down again. Stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti.

For all of this film's many moving parts - which includes undocumented immigrants, far-left revolutionaries and white supremacists - 'One Battle After Another' is first and foremost the story of a loving father's desperate attempt to protect his daughter. The stakes are super simple: ex-revolutionary turned burned-out stay at home dad Pat Calhoun (DiCaprio) desperately works to protect his daughter Willa (Infiniti), who is being hunted by the relentless military officer Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Penn), the same man who had previously all but defeated the revolutionary group Calhoun was aligned with years earlier.

Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's decision to keep the stakes so crystal clear is the foundation that makes everything else in this incredible film work efficiently and profoundly. Anderson's script carefully establishes Calhoun's time with far-left group known as the French 75, as well as his relationship with Willa's mother, a passionate revolutionary. The first act carefully sets up the pieces and characters, allowing Lockjaw's renewed hunt for surviving French 75 members to become a wrecking ball to the relatively peaceful (if paranoid) life in hiding that Calhoun has established with his teen daughter.

For a story steeped in systematic violence and brutal physical violence, Anderson's script is disarmingly hilarious. And it's best kind of comedy: character-based humor. The laughs never undermine the situation - if anything, they are moments of levity to release some pressure from an otherwise incredibly intense situation. Without going into spoilers, Calhoun has a ridiculous phone call with his fellow French 75 compatriots - one that pokes fun at the spycraft and secret code words. On paper, it's a perfectly preposterous conversation between a desperate father and an unmovable revolution who just wants a code word that Calhoun has long forgotten. But this dialogue is played against the backdrop of Lockjaw's forces closing in on Calhoun - and the civil chaos that comes with a small army of soldiers effectively raiding an entire city.

If Willa's safety is the heart of 'One Battle After Another,' then Paul Thomas Anderson's deft control of energy is the film's engine. This is a masterclass in editing as a means of dictating suspense and unease. It's easy to explain how Calhoun's desperate escape from authorities is exciting - but a scene featuring Lockjaw meeting with a group of powerful men seems tonally out of place. It's a sharp contrast to almost everything else around this scene - yet this scene, which is almost jovial and polite in tone, is deeply unsettling. And the greatest compliment for any film like 'One Battle' - which has a runtime of almost three hours - is this movie never feels long. Each scene adds rich depth to this film's world and its characters. Each scene informs the audience of each characters impassioned motives.

Many movies are entertaining but have little to say. Other movies drown the audience in social commentary, usually at the cost of characters or story. 'One Battle After Another' is an incredibly entertaining action thriller rooted in parental fear and love - yet has multitudes to say about the plight of the oppressed, the rigtheous fury of revolutionaries and the ruthlessness of those in power. Paul Thomas Anderson's latest is a concoction of screwball silliness, intense action and deep concern for the troubling current state of society.

Final verdict: ‘One Battle After Another’ is an overwhelming, expertly crafted master stroke of emotionally charged storytelling. This is an essential film of 2025.

Score: 5/5

'One Battle After Another' opens in theaters nationwide starting Sept. 26. The crime drama has a runtime of 161 minutes and is rated R for pervasive language, violence, sexual content, and drug use.