YNOT at the Movies

What if today's political divides worsened into a future of repression, silenced dissent, and mounting violence? Acclaimed writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson takes that chilling premise and shapes it into his most electrifying work yet, "One Battle After Another" (USA 2025 | 161 min.). Both a fantastic thriller and a grand political fable rooted in timeless human struggles, the film feels piercingly of-the-moment while never losing sight of the intimate family story at its core.

The story centers on Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a once-idealistic radical who has been driven into hiding with his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti), living in paranoia as the consequences of his past catch up with him. When his old nemesis Lockjaw (Sean Penn) resurfaces and Willa disappears, Bob is forced back into a world of unfinished battles. Sixteen years after the French 75's heyday, their revolutionary fervor has splintered into memory while new underground networks—like the one led by Sensei (Benicio Del Toro)—fight to shield immigrants from government crackdowns. The film frames this struggle against an America where the administration rounds up immigrants, silences political opponents, and fuels rising political violence, projecting a chilling vision of where our current trajectory could lead.

Leonardo DiCaprio is sensational, bringing a sincerity and comedic vulnerability to Bob that makes him one of the actor's most endearing creations. His stoned paranoia, bumbling missteps, and sudden bursts of conviction are played with such humanity that even his funniest moments come from a place of truth. Sean Penn is extraordinary as Lockjaw, using stiff, almost statuesque body language to embody a villain both terrifying and absurd. Benicio Del Toro, meanwhile, mesmerizes in a more subdued register as Willa's martial arts teacher Sensei, grounding the film with quiet gravity and moral clarity. Their work, along with Regina Hall's steadiness and Teyana Taylor's fiery energy, creates an ensemble where every performance feels lived-in and essential.

Despite its nearly three-hour running time, the film never drags. The film's pacing is a marvel; every scene engrosses, every exchange crackles, and the tension never lets up. Nowhere is this more evident than in the desert car chase sequence, staged with breathtaking clarity and precision. Shot in VistaVision and IMAX, it isn't just thrilling—it's a set piece destined to be studied as one of the greatest in cinema history.

What elevates "One Battle After Another" beyond spectacle is its resonance. Beneath the action lies a story about disillusionment, fractured ideologies, and the persistence of resistance against creeping authoritarianism. In its portrait of how violence, paranoia, and misplaced idealism reverberate across generations, the film feels both timely and timeless.

This is, without doubt, the best film of the year so far—and an instant Oscar front-runner. In Paul Thomas Anderson's hands, the battles may be chaotic, absurd, even comical, but the filmmaking is nothing short of sublime.

"One Battle After Another" opens in theaters on Friday, September 26, 2025.