Posted by A frenetic whirlwind of a film, One Battle After Another is an action packed political thriller directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Licorice Pizza) and inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland.
Despite its intimidating 162 minute run time Battle flies by, it is a gut wrenchingly tense film that is packed with characters and is as frenetic as a rollercoaster. A brilliant Leonardo DiCaprio is Bob Ferguson, an ex member of the left wing terror group The French 75, who now lives his life in a paranoid, drunk and permanently stoned haze with his daughter Willa, an annoyed yet determined Teyana Taylor.
The radical group have hurt and angered a lot of people, chief amongst them Sean Penn’s wonderfully demented Colonel Lockjaw and the far right counter revolutionaries the Christmas Adventurers Club. Bob, with the help of Sergio St. Carlos, is in a race against time to save his daughter and face up to his past. The Sergio in question is Willa’s karate teacher, an unflappable man who protects undocumented migrants. He is a force of nature brought to life by Benicio del Toro, who has an electric and hilarious chemistry with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bob.
This is a chaotic, sexual and confrontational film full of characters, themes and comedy that is never anything less than enthralling. It is a nonstop conveyor belt of events with an exquisitely rising sense of tension, aided by the stabbing piano and urgent strings of composer and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood. You cannot look away, especially during the climactic car chase and showdown as the tension and danger reaches its crescendo. It has a strong message about the polarised state of America and the current incumbent’s way of running things, but thankfully it doesn’t get on a soapbox and preach at you for the best part of 3 hours.
It is a non stop, gut wrenchingly tense thriller worthy of the praise heaped upon it. It has similar runaway train pacing as Uncut Gems, but not as headache inducing, and some stellar performances from DiCaprio, Penn, del Toro and Taylor.
8/10.
Lofty Music and Film 