I had a moment in the theatre that felt like an inside joke shooting over my head. In the scene, our villain is given in invitation to a club, which caused my audience to snicker and chuckle. That was the only slightly uncomfortable moment I had with Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, One Battle After Another. Did they all know something I didn’t?

One Battle After Another, is incredibly impressive from start to finish. It may be one of the first few films I’ve watched this year to give Ryan Coogler’s Sinners a run for it’s Awards Season money (which is a short list that only currently includes Zach Cregger’s Weapons and maybe Pierre Perifel’s The Bad Guys 2). The film reaches heights of craziness and comedy that’s on par with some of the Coen Brothers best works (there’s a lot of The Big Lebowski in it), while still being serious and tense enough to find yourself worrying about all of these characters and their possible outcomes. Much like Pynchon’s and Anderson’s Inherent Vice, it’s got a good mix of seriousness and comedy. I scooped it up the moment it hit digital and have watched it about 3 more times since then (though not as much as my locked-in film for the year, William Freidkin’s Sorcerer, a discovery that’s been a comfort food rewatch for stressful days). 

Based off of Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland”, One Battle After Another is the story of Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) an alcohol addled stoner that just wants to get through the day. There was a time when Bob was involved in dangerous and violent acts when he was with the group “The French 75”. but he puts this behind him after the birth of his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti, TV’s Presumed Innocent). Willa doesn’t fully believe all of her father’s stories, and perceives him as a waste of space. It all takes a turn when an old enemy, Captain Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn, reuniting with Anderson from Licorice Pizza) puts them in his crosshairs. Can Bob keep Willa safe while being almost completely lost? In the end, beyond the violence and the images that reflect some of today’s times, my takeaway was that it was just a story about parenthood. Some rise up for the challenge, and others shirk the responsibility. It’s a Dad trying to climb out of the hole he put himself in to protect his daughter. I feel that’s an honorable thing, even if some of the actions to get there may not be right or “on the level”. 

From a production standpoint, One Battle After Another is rich with scenes and sequences that shift between classic steady shots to kinetic one shots. Michael Bauman, who was also the cinematographer for Licorice Pizza, has some amazing camera work here, especially in the film’s third act. For a film that runs about 2 hours and 40 minutes, it’s a smooth flowing film. There’s a classic line by David Lynch (Bless the Maker and his film stock) in the Fabelmansregarding the use of the horizon that really gets put to the test in One Battle After Another. It’s a sequence that on the big screen really felt amazing, and makes me regret not catching the film in the 70 MM format. 

The performances are fantastic all around and it’s so surprise that most of this cast are up for the Golden Globes next January. DiCaprio plays Bob like a mix of Jeff Lebowski meets Jack Burton, kind of just stumbling through it all. He carries it easily and throws himself full force into the role. As great as he is in all this, everyone else from Teyana Taylor’s (Coming 2 America) fiery Perfidia Beverly Hills to Benecio Del Toro (Sicario) calm as hell Sensei (who picked up the most audience applause) kind of steal the show here. Even Alana Haim was good to see there, though she doesn’t have that big of a part this time around. It’s Sean Penn’s Steven J. Lockjaw that comes off wild and crazy. He did a fantastic job with the character, though I’m not sure I want him to actually win anything. That role really was wicked, which is perhaps a testament to how good he was. 

The only element of the movie I had a problem with was the music. Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, who’s scored most of Anderson’s films, has some strange melodies in the film. Some come across sounding like the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz, but I will say it does make sense for most of the movie. Jon Brion (Magnolia) also has two great pieces of music for the film that aren’t on the movie’s soundtrack. They can be found if you search for them. 

Overall, I truly enjoyed Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. I really have to work on going through the rest of his films, like Boogie Nights and Phantom Thread at some point.